The Simple Life
by generalquistis
Summary: Rufus has to make an unusual sacrifice: give up his riches for world restoration. As consequence for what he did, he has to live with Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart, and the latter has taken the burden of taking care of him against her wishes.
1. Chapter 1

The Simple Life

By generalquistis

Author's notes: Setting takes place after AC. Gotta warn you though, this has CloudxAerith, RufusxTifa, RenoxElena and YuffiexSURPRISE! Haha. Anyway, if you have anything against one or more of those mentioned pairings (although this isn't really a love-team infested fic because this was orinally intended to be a RufusxTifa-only fic), better go now and spare me your rantings and flames on why those couples aren't meant to be depending on what your opinions are.

oOoOo

When Cloud arrived at the 7th Heaven Bar in its new location in Edge, he sighed heavily as he looked around. And he muttered to himself, "Home sweet home." He said with a little sarcasm on his tone.

He felt a slight shove from behind him and he turned around. It was Tifa, nudging him to move away since he was blocking the doorway and she and the others needed to pass.

Mindlessly, Cloud moved away from the door and proceeded to sit on one of the chairs facing the counter as he continued to look around as if he has not been in that place for a long time already.

"We're home!" Marlene cheered happily as she jumped up and down while heading for the stairs with Denzel.

"Clean yourselves up, kids. We're having a celebration tonight in honor of Cloud's victory. Right, foo'?" Barret called out, turning to Cloud.

Cloud just sat still, staring into empty space.

Vincent joined him, sitting beside him. "You seem to have a lot of things in mind." He said.

Cloud was quiet at first before replying, "I'm… just trying to get used to my _new_ surroundings here."

"Seriously, how long have you been away from us anyway?" Tifa asked, interrupting them as she went behind the counter and went to the sink, washing her hands that had been soiled from the final battle.

"I'd suppose you know how long I was away, Tifa." Cloud said with a slight smile on his face.

Tifa was surprised by his answer. She just smiled back at him. "Things had been so busy around here I never even thought about you when you were away." She said before punching the air by his face, making him jerk backward.

"Watch it." Cloud warned her with a slight laugh before he got up.

Tifa, Yuffie, Barret, Cid and Vincent were surprised to hear Cloud laugh. "You're laughin'." Barret pointed out with a dumbfounded look on his face.

Cloud blinked. "What's wrong with laughing?" he asked nonchalantly.

Silence.

"You just got cured of Geostigma and you're acting like nothing happened." Tifa said.

"That's what matters, right?" Cloud answered.

She was surprised at him. "What's with the sudden change of attitude?" she thought in surprise.

"Vincent," Cloud began, turning to the red-caped man who was still seated and looking at him in wonder. Vincent raised his eyebrows at him in response. Cloud smiled. "A sin can be forgiven." He said before he turned and walked out the door.

"Where are you going?" Tifa called out.

"To Rufus." Cloud replied.

They heard his Fenrir start and the sound of it zooming off into the streets.

Vincent was stunned.

"What was that shit all about?" Cid asked Vincent as he sat down beside him and told Tifa, "Gimme a drink, bartender-lady. Feh."

Tifa frowned disapprovingly at him. "What sort?" she asked, trying to keep her patience.

"Something cold." He replied.

Tifa just grabbed a random can of soda from the refrigerator and tossed it over to him. "That's 2 Gil." She told him with a wink before proceeding to the kitchen. "A little help here, please?" she called out.

Yuffie thought for a while before rushing to the kitchen. "Sure! What are we going to cook?" she asked excitedly.

"Aw, c'mon, Tifa! Just give it to me for free!" Cid called out.

"Hey, I'm running a business here. In a business, there are no _friends_." Tifa replied with a teasing tone.

"Damn. That sounded so ShinRa-like." Cid muttered to Vincent and Barret.

"She is just a good entrepreneur. Just pay for it." Vincent pointed out.

Cid rolled his eyes and grabbed some random bills from his pocket and placed it on top of the counter. "Here. Keep the change!" he called out to Tifa.

"Thank you, Cid! Heehee!" Tifa called out.

Barret shrugged. "Well, better check if there's room for you guys to sleep upstairs." He said before proceeding to the stairs.

"Don't bother. I'll leave after dinner. I have to be back in Rocket Town. Leaving Sherra in the house heightens my anxiety." Cid said miserably.

"In that case, I'll just have to put Vincent with the kids. You don't mind sleeping on the floor, do ya?" Barret asked, stopping by the first step and turned back.

Vincent blinked. "…Denzel and Marlene?" he imagined himself to be babysitting children. "…Alright. Sure." He replied with a look of awe on his face.

"Cloud has his own room here, right?" Cid asked.

"Yeah but it's small. There are two other small extra rooms which Tifa uses as a stock room. Gotta clean that though. She's quite messy with her stuff." Barret said miserably before proceeding upstairs.

xXxXxXx

Tifa was quietly slicing the onions, trying her best to suppress the tears in her eyes. However, she could not fight the urge to sniff. Yuffie heard it and turned instantly to her. "You okay, Teef?" the young Ninja asked as she turned away from the stove.

Tifa just swallowed hard. "…Yeah. But these onions are strong so…" she began.

"You've been awfully quiet ever since we were walking back here this afternoon after it all ended." Yuffie pointed out with a concerned look on her face.

Tifa chuckled lightly, pretending to be carefree about the situation, "Whatever gave you that idea, Yuffie? And since when did you start becoming so concerned about me?" she asked nonchalantly.

Yuffie shrugged and bowed down her head slightly. "Well… I figured that… since Aerith is gone… and I don't have anybody else to talk with in this group… maybe we could become friends?" she asked.

Tifa stopped slicing the onions and turned to Yuffie with a surprised look on her face. "We _are_ friends, Yuffie." She emphasized.

"Well… like best friends?" Yuffie asked.

Tifa was silent.

Yuffie sighed heavily and turned back to the stove and stared at the saucepan. "I guess we all just miss Aerith." She said softly with a miserable look on her face.

Tifa lowered her gaze to the floor, contemplating on what Yuffie had just said. "I wish she was still here…" she said softly.

"Getting sentimental in here?"

The two girls jerked in surprise when they heard Cid Highwind from the doorway of the kitchen.

"N…no." Tifa fibbed before turning back to the onions and continued to slice them. "Where's Cloud?" she asked.

"He left, remember?" Cid asked, wondering what was bothering her and Yuffie.

"Oh. Yeah. Now I remember. Must've slipped my mind…" Tifa said, trying to sound like she had really forgotten it. "Been quite busy though I know we must all rest. Been a tiring day for all of us…" she began to blab.

"Just hurry it up with your preparation for dinner coz I gotta friggin' go back home by midnight. What time can we expect dinner?" Cid asked impatiently.

"6 sharp." Tifa replied with a determined tone.

"Sure." Cid turned and walked away, leaving the two girls alone.

"And it's 5:10 in the afternoon." Yuffie muttered.

"We'll get by. And we'd better hurry too. I have to open the bar at 8:00 and that's after dinner." Tifa said.

"Gawds! Don't you ever rest?" Yuffie asked in disbelief.

"If I miss a day of work, we wouldn't have anything to eat for tomorrow or for the day after tomorrow. That's how life is in here." Tifa replied with a hint of misery in her voice.

Yuffie pouted. "You don't like what you're doing, do you?" she asked.

"I have no choice… but don't get me wrong, I like bartending… but sometimes it just gets tiring when you do it everyday." Tifa replied, rolling her eyes.

"You just need more manpower around here… like you know, more workers to go around the bar?" Yuffie asked.

"Can you do that later on?" Tifa asked.

"After I wash the dishes." Yuffie said, although in her mind, she was already complaining. She's Wutaian Royalty and she's going to do the dishes. If her father finds out about that, he would say something bad to her. "But oh well, he'll never know…" she decided in her mind.

xXxXxXx

Cloud slowed down his Fenrir once he reached the area of Sectors 3 and 4, observing how people were getting by. Children were playing, some houses were being repaired for damages, grown-ups walking back to their homes with happy smiles on their faces.

"They all seem to be happy." Cloud mentioned softly.

"_Indeed they are. Thanks to you._" Somebody answered pleasantly from somewhere. But he could not see the person. Still, he knew who it was. Cloud had a pleased smile on his face upon hearing the voice. "No, thanks to _you_." He corrected sternly.

The person giggled. "_Oh Cloud, you did your part; I did mine_."

"And Zack too." he mentioned.

"_Uh-huh_."

"Where is he anyway?"

"_Hmm… somewhere._"

"Why aren't you with him?"

"_Because _I'll be in your heart forever_. Teehee!" _

"No, really. That's just a figure of speech, if you know what I mean, right?" Cloud responded with a ridiculous smile on his face.

"_But I have a choice to hang around here with you. So watch out."_

Cloud breathed in. "Alright. Just don't go snooping around when I'm in the bathroom or something…"

He heard her laugh. His eyes widened.

"_Oh Cloud, I've seen _it _a thousand times already._ _Hahahaha!_"

Her laughter rung in his ears like a melody of gentle wind chimes. He smiled sadly despite the embarrassment. He wished he could see her. But for now, he could only hear her… and he must never ever reveal to the others that he could; otherwise, they would think that he had gone mad.

Not wanting to delve deeper into the subject and wanting to forget his embarrassment, he decided to change the subject. "Where are we going again?" he asked casually.

"_One of the local inns here._" She responded gently.

"Which one?"

"_Stop._"

Cloud braked. He turned to the small unstable-looking building to his left and stared at it from its top to the bottom. He blinked. "This is it?" he was thinking.

"_Better get going before the sun completely sets. Tifa and Yuffie are almost done with dinner._" She told him.

He nodded as he switched off the engine of his Fenrir, got down from it and walked inside the building. He arrived at the small lobby and approached the inn-keeper standing behind the front desk and playing with the keys of the unoccupied rooms upstairs. The inn-keeper was a middle-aged man, probably around the age of 35 and he does not look very friendly. Aside from the fact that he was giving off a cold stare at Cloud, he also looked bored. "Room rate here is 700 Gil a night." He revealed.

Cloud was taken aback. "700 Gil a night? Isn't that too expensive for a place that looks like this?" he asked straightforwardly.

"This is the only decent inn here in Midgar right now. Where do you want to go? The Sector 1 Grand Hotel? As if it's still standing! Hah!" the grumpy old inn-keeper reacted harshly.

"…I would just like to ask about some of your guests here, sir." Cloud replied, trying to keep his patience and to sound polite for he could still feel his constant companion hovering around him like clean fresh air in a dumpsite.

"Go ahead." The inn-keeper gestured to the logbook lying on top of the desk.

Cloud moved forward to it and began to read the names. He scanned all the pages.

"Not here…" he muttered. "Are there any other inns in here?" he continued.

"100 Gil a night next block. The other one's in Edge, 200 Gil a night. But those are in worse conditions right now." The inn-keeper replied mindlessly.

"Are you sure these are the only guests in here?" Cloud asked.

"Duh. Once I have new customers, I ask them to log their names." The inn-keeper replied impatiently.

Before Cloud could react further, he heard a familiar voice calling his name, "Cloud."

He froze for a moment before turning around to the door. He blinked. "Rufus," he began, trying to sound surprised like he was not expecting him and the Turks.

"Yo Cloud!" Reno greeted cheerfully.

"Like, oh my gawd! What are you doing here Mister Cloud?" Elena asked in awe as she approached him and shook hands with him. "Congratulations on you saving the Planet again! ShinRa owes you a lot, right, Prez?" she asked happily.

Rufus was just quiet. He was still seated on his wheelchair but he had no blankets draped on him anymore. Cloud examined the look on his face. He looked quite worried about something although his facial expression remained stiff and emotionless.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud asked, trying to sound like he does not know anything.

"I had to check out of the Healin Lodge since my Geostigma is gone…" Rufus began.

"I see… but why are you still on that wheelchair?" Cloud asked.

Rufus just stared at him. "And what are you doing here?" he asked, not wanting to answer Cloud's inquiry.

Cloud felt a little dismayed but he still went on. "I just thought I'd go around and check whether everything's alright…" he fibbed. "Anyway, we're having a victory dinner tonight. Care to join us?" he invited.

"Oh cool! Sure!" Elena cheered happily.

"Elena, the President will decide." Tseng muttered.

Elena blinked and moved away. "Oh. Sorry…" she said sheepishly.

Rufus swallowed hard, thinking things through. Bowing down his head slightly, he nodded. "Of course, Cloud." He replied with a low tone.

Cloud wondered what was going on in Rufus's mind, but never bothered to ask. He turned back to the inn-keeper again and then back to Rufus. "So… you're planning to check-in here?" he asked.

Rufus looked up at the ceiling and everyone clearly saw that he cringed slightly. "I have no choice…" was about to say but he stopped himself.

Cloud could see the sudden vulnerability in Rufus's eyes. He felt his invisible companion give him a nudge. Cloud jerked slightly and began to make a proposal, "Nah. Don't stay here. Stay with us for the night instead. We have extra rooms."

Silence.

"That would be wonderful…" Rufus replied rather weakly, forcing a smile at him.

Cloud nodded. "Alright. Let's go. If we're late Tifa will start nagging me again… this time, along with Barret, Marlene and Yuffie…" he said as he led the way to his Fenrir.

"You're riding that? What about us?" Tseng asked with a ridiculous look on his face.

Cloud stopped and thought for a while as soon as they got outside. He shrugged and asked, "Don't you have any transportation?"

Silence.

He turned back to them.

The Turks looked disturbed while Rufus was looking at Cloud with a scornful look in his eyes. "We're saving on fuel. You know how energy is scarce these days…" Rufus responded rather coldly.

Cloud swallowed hard. "There must be something wrong…" he thought to himself as he turned to the streets, waiting for a cab to pass by. When a cab happened to drive by, he instantly raised his hand to hail it. The cab stopped and went to them. The driver rolled down his window and smiled at Cloud. "Aren't you the lad who saved Midgar?" he asked kindly.

Cloud blinked. "Eh… uhm… yes…" he answered sheepishly. "Uh… could you take President Rufus and the Turks to Edge? I'll lead the way with my motorcycle and you follow. I'll pay you extra. What can you say about 100 Gil for this ride?" he asked.

Rufus was surprised at him. "No, really, this isn't necessary." He began, but Cloud hushed him.

The cab driver shook his head. "We saw the President's effort to prevent world destruction so I'm giving this ride for free." He said nicely.

They were surprised.

However, Rufus did not feel the least bit happy about the situation. He hated receiving charity and he could not interpret the current situation in any other way than what he was thinking of at that moment. But he just kept quiet. The Turks, however, were pleased with the deal.

Cloud smiled kindly at the driver. "You're too kind, sir. Let me give you a tip too." he said.

"No, Mister Strife, I insist…" the driver said.

"But I insist that I must give you a tip." Cloud said, bringing out 50 Gil from his pocket and handing it to the driver.

"That's too large for a tip." Reno remarked in awe.

The driver hesitated for a moment before finally accepting Cloud's offer. With that, Rufus got up from his wheelchair and went over to Cloud. "I refuse to ride with the Turks. I'll just go with you, Cloud." Rufus decided.

His decision surprised the Turks, especially Cloud. "What?" Cloud asked.

"Sir, wouldn't it be dangerous for you to be unguarded?" Tseng asked with a concerned look on his face.

"I can walk on my own and stand on my own. I have some things to discuss with Cloud Strife so please just get inside that cab and go to Edge. I'm sure you know where Cloud's house is." Rufus said sternly.

"It's actually Tifa's house. She… bought the lot and had a house built on it. She used her own money for everything." Cloud corrected and elaborated.

"Whatever. Just go." Rufus replied coldly, eyeing the Turks with a stern look on his face.

The Turks nodded and saluted before putting Rufus's wheelchair at the trunk of the cab, and then got inside the cab. They did not even look back at Rufus in fear of getting scolded even as the cab took off.

Cloud, meanwhile, went to his Fenrir. Rufus followed after him, taking small shaky steps. Cloud watched him as he neared the Fenrir. Cloud hopped onto his motorcycle and Rufus followed, seating himself behind him.

"Hold on." Cloud said with a hard tone as he started the engine. With that, he sped off.

During the ride, Cloud was waiting for Rufus to say something. "Didn't he mention earlier that he has some things to discuss with me?" he was thinking to himself. However, Rufus was quiet.

There was a traffic light and the light was red. They had to stop for a moment. Cloud looked up at the skies. The clouds and the skies have turned red-orange and some parts of the horizon were already dark blue to purple darkening to black. "Did you communicate with Reeve regarding the World Recovery…" he began.

"The WRO? No." Rufus replied sternly.

Cloud was quiet.

"Thank you for what you did…" Rufus said with a stiff tone.

Cloud turned his head slightly to the side, looking at Rufus through his peripheral vision.

"Thanks to your friend too…" Rufus continued, his gaze to the ground.

Cloud was quiet.

"Her name is… Aerith, if I'm not mistaken?" Rufus asked.

Cloud looked away with a faint smile on his face. "Yes. Her name is Aerith." He said as he watched the traffic light transitioning from red to yellow and then to green.

xXxXxXx

From the dining room area, Tifa heard the door of her bar open. "Hey, we're still closed!" she called out as she was putting the bowl of vegetable soup in the middle of the table.

"Turks in da house!"

Tifa and Yuffie exchanged glances. "Reno?" the former asked in surprise.

Tifa instantly went to her bar and stopped in her tracks when she saw the four Turks standing by the counter. "Oh… good evening." She greeted politely.

"Cloud sent us here. He said we'd join you guys in your victory party-dinner whatever. The Prez is with him!" Elena pointed out.

Tifa was stunned. "I… see. Where are they?" she asked rather uncomfortably. The idea of having Rufus joining them for dinner suddenly gave her the shivers.

"Going for a ride. The Prez refused to ride with us in the cab. But here's his wheelchair. Where can we put it?" Reno asked, wheeling the wheelchair towards Tifa.

Tifa blinked. "Uhm… just put it in that corner over there." She said. "But… did Cloud carry him?" she asked.

"He can actually walk and stand up but his legs are still weak from the damage inflicted by the Diamond Weapon." Tseng stepped forward as he explained. "And while he's not around, my colleagues and I would like to make a proposal to you, Miss Lockheart." He began.

Tifa frowned slightly, feeling uncomfortable as she braced herself for what she was about to hear…

oOoOo

Cloud Strife switched off the engine and hopped off from his motorcycle. "Alright. We're here." He announced to Rufus.

Rufus ShinRa slowly got down from the motorcycle and took small shaky steps to Cloud while staring up at the two-storey house and turned his attention to the door leading to the bar. "What time does it open?" he asked mindlessly.

"Usually at 8. Closes at midnight or 2 in the morning. That's what I know." Cloud replied as he turned to Rufus, noticing his wobbly legs. "Need help?" he asked.

Rufus shook his head. "No, thank you. I can manage." He replied stiffly, but Cloud could tell that he was having a hard time keeping his balance. Sure he was cured of Geostigma, but the side-effects from the injuries caused by the Diamond Weapon are still there. Without second thoughts, Cloud got hold of Rufus, putting his arm around his shoulder to guide him in walking.

Rufus just looked at him with a look of slight confusion on his face.

Cloud just smiled lightly at him.

Giving up, Rufus obliged to take Cloud's help and they began to walk towards the house.

They passed through the back door leading directly to the dining area.

All eyes turned to them once the door burst open.

Everybody was quiet was and staring at them in awe but they just remained seated in their respective seats around the dinner table.

Rufus tried his best to keep his gaze on the ground and never to look at any of them but Cloud.

"You're late." Tifa blurted out to Cloud.

Cloud just ignored her as he looked at the wall clock. 6:30.

"Traffic." He pointed out before aiding Rufus to the empty seat in between Tifa and Denzel.

Tifa got up from her seat and helped Cloud with Rufus. "Pleased to have you here, President Rufus." She greeted, trying to sound pleasant; however, her voice was shaky as she spoke.

As soon as Rufus sat down, Cloud moved over to the chair located at the other end of the table, for Barret occupied the other end.

To Barret's left was Vincent, then beside Vincent was Tifa and then Rufus, then Denzel. Facing Vincent was Tseng, then beside Tseng was Reno, then Elena and then Rude.

To Cloud's right was Cid, to his left seated Yuffie.

Cait Sith and Red XIII were eating their meals on their own food dishes on the floor by Cloud's feet.

"Awright, foo's. This dinner is to celebrate our victory… and to celebrate _new friendships_…" Barret began as he raised his mug filled with beer.

The others followed with their own glasses, however, other glasses had four seasons-flavored juice in them (Tifa, Marlene, Denzel and Rufus).

"Here, here!" Cid cheered pleasantly.

"This is also for Aerith." Cloud added.

Everyone stopped before they could make a toast and they all looked at Cloud.

Cloud just smiled calmly at them. "For Aerith." He repeated.

Tifa smiled gently. "For Aerith." She repeated, urging the others to go on.

They all made a toast.

Dinner became lively because of the Turks sharing stories to the others. Cid, Yuffie, Barret and Vincent joined in the conversations; Marlene and Denzel talked to Rufus, but Tifa and Cloud were quiet.

Cloud and Tifa had two separate thoughts in mind. Tifa was concerned about what she was going to do with her new household guests while Cloud was talking to someone in his mind. However, Yuffie was the only one who seemed to have noticed his new mannerism of looking up at the ceiling, and then back to his food again. She found it weird but decided to discuss it with the others later on.

After dinner, Cid instantly left to go home to Rocket Town while Vincent went to the living room to watch the news with Barret. The Turks, on the other hand, went over to the bar to start helping out Tifa; while Yuffie, Marlene and Denzel washed the dishes.

Cloud, on the other hand, remained with Rufus in the dining area, seated with him and having some tea.

"What are the Turks doing in the bar?" Rufus asked Cloud with an impatient tone.


	2. Chapter 2

The Simple Life

Chapter 2

Rufus looked up from his tea, his gaze instantly landing on Tifa Lockheart who had just entered the dining area. She stopped before him with a scornful look on her face which made him raise an eyebrow at her. From the look in her eyes, he could tell that she was about to say something nasty to him, so he just braced himself for what he was about to hear.

Placing her hands on her hips, she began in a very aggressively confronting manner, "Rufus ShinRa, I want to have a word with you."

He almost forgot to breathe. A person from several classes lower than him was acting like that. So unacceptable. But still, what can he do?

Rufus just stared at her. "Go ahead, Miss Lockhart." He responded with a cool tone. Although for Tifa, it sounded like he was mocking her.

"First of all, what did Cloud tell you about staying here?" she asked directly.

Rufus took a deep breath and responded with a calm voice, "He told me I could spend the night here. It's out of gratitude, I deem."

"But are you aware that your Turks have decided to help out in my bar during the evenings, and then in the daytime, Reno and Elena will be working with Cloud in his courier service while Rude and Tseng will be helping out Barret in finding ways to gain access to the fuel that will run the whole city…"

Rufus frowned. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You're broke, Rufus, didn't that occur to you?" she asked rather haughtily.

Rufus felt his heart skip a beat. It was like a big blow to his ego. "I am _not_ broke. I just have very little resources now because I donated some of it to the WRO to support Reeve and…"

"But still, it's not enough. Even the WRO is having a hard time fulfilling their goal." Tifa interrupted.

Rufus refused to take his gaze away from her. "If you want me and my Turks to leave, we will leave in the morning." He told her coldly.

"That's the problem. Your Turks refuse to leave." She took a seat close to him and leaned forward. "Tseng proposed that he and the other Turks would like you to stay here and while you're here they will work for us." She told him.

He just frowned at her. "Why don't you just tell me that you want me to leave?" he pointed out directly. He got up from his seat and staggered towards the doorway leading to the bar. "That is what you want, isn't it?" he asked haughtily before turning to the Turks. "What is this? What are you doing?" he demanded from them.

"We're… helping out here, sir." Reno replied quite hesitantly.

Cloud got down from upstairs and arrived at the scene. Seeing Rufus standing up by himself made him feel uncomfortable. "You still shouldn't be moving around too much." He said as he approached Rufus when he noticed that the other customers were staring in shock at him.

"Why is the President here?"

"What President? He's not the President anymore!"

"Oh yeah… you're right."

"Yeah. He lost _everything_."

"Serves him right. His family ruined everything anyway."

Rufus cringed upon hearing some of the whispering from the customers but he managed to keep a straight face. He felt Cloud guide him away from the crowd. "Let's go upstairs." Cloud told him.

Rufus felt helpless. He just walked with him quietly although he was feeling bad already.

"Tifa just confronted me about something…" Rufus began as they were slowly climbing up the steps going to the second storey of the house.

"Did she nag you or something?" Cloud asked with a disapproving tone.

"…Never you mind, but from the way she looked at me and from how she sounded, she wants me out of here." Rufus told him. He looked at Cloud. "Why didn't you tell me that the Turks wanted me to stay here?" he asked.

Cloud lowered his gaze to the floor. "Just consider this as an act of kindness from me." He said.

"You only? What about the others?" Rufus demanded.

"You're fine with them. I don't know about Tifa though." Cloud responded rather vaguely.

"This is her house, if I am not mistaken. I think I should just leave." Rufus began.

"And if you leave, where will you stay in that condition of yours? Do you think anybody else would admit you into a hospital for special treatment? Do you think Reeve can provide for you? Do you think your Turks can find any other sort of work out there that would not require them to risk their lives for you?" Cloud answered with a frown on his face, eyeing Rufus carefully.

Rufus just eyed him coldly before turning away. "I don't like acts of charity towards me." He muttered.

"You want to be left alone." Cloud pointed out as he led Rufus to a small room. Rufus looked around and saw pipes on the ceiling, a bed by the window, blue curtains and a small cabinet. He also saw Cloud's sword resting by a chair near the bedside table.

Cloud seated Rufus onto the bed.

"We can help each other now, Rufus. Remember when you told me that we won't become friends? Why don't we start over again?" Cloud asked him.

Rufus just looked coldly at him. "I am surprised at you. You've changed." He said.

Cloud just smiled simply at him. "You too." he got up and switched on the radiator. "Sorry if this room is small but we only have a few good rooms here. You wouldn't want to sleep in Tifa's room, would you?" he asked.

Rufus eyed him ridiculously. "This is your room, isn't it?" he demanded.

Cloud just looked up at the ceiling. "You're really the smartest person I know." He turned away from Rufus. "Yell if you need anything." He told him.

"Wait, where are you going to sleep?" Rufus asked in confusion.

Cloud turned back to him. "You stay on the bed, I'll stay on the floor. You wanted an _able_ bodyguard, right? I can grant your request now. I'll be your bodyguard." He replied.

"I wanted an able bodyguard when Kadaj and his brothers were still alive, and now that they're gone, I don't think I would need one anymore…" Rufus began, but Cloud ignored him.

"Yell if you need anything." Cloud repeated before stepping out of the room, although he left the door open.

Marlene and Denzel watched from their door as Cloud went downstairs again. "He sure is different now." She declared softly.

"Yeah." Denzel replied before turning his gaze to the doorway of Cloud's bedroom. "But at least he seems happier." Marlene said with a smile on her face.

Denzel stepped out of their room and walked towards Cloud's room.

"Where are you going?" Marlene asked as she went after him.

Denzel stopped by the doorway of Cloud's room and stared at Rufus ShinRa who was seated on the bed and looking out the window, as if stargazing; although it was a starless evening.

Upon sensing another presence in the room, Rufus turned to the doorway and saw the two children staring curiously at him. "Blimey. Children. How do I talk to them…" he was thinking miserably to himself in silence as he eyed them back.

Marlene smiled shyly at him. "Hello… Mister President." She greeted.

Rufus eased up a little. "Hello. Marlene, right?" he asked, forcing a smile at her.

She nodded happily and ran to his side. She climbed up the bed and hugged him.

Rufus was surprised. It was the first time that he ever received a hug from a child. And it was sincere. He felt like all his troubles had melted away.

"You're really a nice man, you know?" she said sweetly.

Rufus felt his heart sink. He turned his gaze to Denzel.

Denzel smiled slightly at him and then looked away.

Rufus eyed him curiously before turning back to Marlene. "You think so?" he asked.

"Uh-huh! _She_ told me!" Marlene said happily.

Rufus frowned slightly as the little girl withdrew from him. "Who?" he asked.

Marlene giggled. "Aerith." She replied.

Rufus felt his heart stop for a moment. "…Aerith?" he asked.

She nodded and sat down beside him. "So how are you doing now, sir?" she asked.

He looked at her curiously and shrugged. "Alright, I guess." He replied.

Denzel just turned and walked away, leaving Marlene and Rufus there.

"Denzel," Marlene called out.

But the boy never looked back.

Marlene felt a little disappointed before turning back to Rufus. "I told Denzel that you're not a bad man. You may seem like one at first because of your daddy, but deep inside, if people just get to know you better, they will know that you're not." She said.

Rufus just kept quiet, more concerned on what Denzel would think about him.

"Daddy told me that you're going to live here with us." She continued.

"And what do you think of that?" he asked her, examining the pleased look on her face.

She swayed her head from side to side. "I'm happy, of course! Because I am going to have a new friend!" she said. "We're friends, right?" she asked.

Rufus just stared at her for a few moments before smiling kindly at her. "Yes, we are." He said.

oOoOo

"Why did you say that to Rufus?" Cloud demanded from Tifa as he just sat by the counter and eyed her while she was wiping some of the glasses by the sink of the bar.

"I don't really like the idea of having somebody like Rufus in my house." She pointed out.

"Just say that you don't like the ShinRas because of what they have done." He told her.

She turned to him sharply with a scornful look on her face. "He tried to kill me for crying out loud!" she pointed out, surprising the other customers because she had spoken in a very loud voice.

"Ahem," Reno cleared his throat to catch Tifa's attention. "Correction, ma'am. It was Scarlet who passed the proposal that you and Mister Wallace should be gassed in Junon. I don't know what came over the Prez and he agreed." He pointed out.

"What's going on in here?" Barret asked, arriving from the living room area.

"She's like, getting hysterical because Rufus is staying here and she's just concerned because of the gas chamber issue from two years ago." Yuffie pointed out, rolling her eyes while putting some ice in the shaker.

Barret just stared at Tifa before leaving the room again. "I'll just be in the living room watching Rugby with Vincent." He said.

Tifa tried to protest, but Denzel spoke up from the doorway leading to the stairs. "People should be given another chance, Tifa." He said.

All eyes turned to him. He just stared back at Tifa.

Tifa put down the glass and the washcloth that she was holding and decided to go upstairs.

While she was walking to the room where she could hear Marlene and Rufus conversing, she slowed down and just remained outside, standing behind the wall and listened.

"…but you almost got Tifa and my Papa killed. It just makes me sad." Marlene said sadly as she lowered her gaze to the floor.

Rufus remembered that day. How could he forget that day? He shook his head and smiled calmly at Marlene. "Don't be. I didn't mean it." He said.

"You didn't?" she asked, looking up at him with a curious look on her face.

"I had this employee once. Her name is Scarlet. I don't know why she hates Tifa. But you know something?" Rufus asked, leaning closer to Marlene and lowering his voice and whispered, "I think she's just jealous of Tifa."

Marlene giggled. "Teehee! Really?" she asked.

"It's obvious. She was the one who wanted Tifa and your father to be gassed. Of course I did not want the others to know that I am a _nice person_, so what I did was to oblige to Scarlet's request." He responded.

He had anticipated Marlene's lips curving into a pout and seeing the frown on her face made him smile in satisfaction. He laughed at her reaction. "Wait a moment, I am not yet finished with my story." He told her.

He watched her facial expression soften and she looked up at him in wonder with a spark of hope in her eyes. With that he continued, "However, I wanted Tifa to escape since she's the first one in the gas chamber." He looked up at the ceiling with a reminiscent look on his face. "I realized how afraid she was… she did not want to die. I would not want anybody to die… so what I did was to make a deal with one of the SOLDIERs in the gas chamber." He explained.

Marlene's face lit up in happiness. "Ooh! What happened?" she asked excitedly.

"I told the SOLDIER to drop the key somewhere near her where she could easily reach it. But of course I told the SOLDIER not to be obvious." Rufus flipped his hair with a proud look on his face.

Marlene smiled kindly at him and pulled out something from her pocket. Rufus looked at her hand and saw that she was holding a pink ribbon and to his surprise, she began to roll up his sleeve a little. "I think you should tell that to Tifa so that she will not hate you anymore." She said as she began to tie the ribbon around Rufus's right wrist.

He frowned slightly. "She hates me?" he asked.

She nodded. "She said she hates everything in ShinRa. So I think that includes you too. But anyway, she's really nice. She takes care of me when Papa's not here." She said as she finished tying the ribbon. She clapped her hands. "There you go, President Rufus!" she said cheerfully.

He stared at the ribbon. "What is this for?" he asked, recalling that Cloud and the others also have that ribbon tied around their arms or forearms.

"Just always have it with you and you'll be safe, President Rufus." Marlene said.

Rufus smiled kindly at her. "Just call me _Rufus_." He said as he patted her head gently.

She nodded. "Okay, Rufus!" she said happily.

Tifa narrowed her eyes as she swallowed hard and stepped onto the doorway where they could see her. They both looked at her in surprise.

"It's time for bed, Marlene." She said with a stern tone.

Marlene smiled and nodded before turning to Rufus. "Goodnight, Rufus." She said as she gave him a hug before jumping off the bed and dashed out of the room. "G'night, Tifa!" she said before she got inside her own room.

Tifa waited until Marlene closed her door before turning back to Rufus.

Rufus refused to look at her. Slowly, he laid himself on the bed and turned away from her. He was facing the wall and he had a frown on his face.

"I do hope you're comfortable there." She said, not really knowing what to say to him after what she had learned from her eavesdropping moments ago. She suddenly felt guilty about treating Rufus badly earlier that evening.

Rufus just kept quiet. He frowned when he heard her footsteps nearing him.

Tifa got the blue checkered wool blanket which originally belongs to Cloud, but she noticed the other wool blanket settled on a stool where his other pillows are. "Pink?" Tifa thought in surprise as she realized that Cloud would be using the pink blanket for later when he's going to sleep on the floor. Shrugging it off, she spread the blanket over Rufus, making him feel puzzled about her sudden "kindness", if that is what you could call it at that moment.

She sighed heavily. "I'm… sorry if I was mean to you. I guess I was just… surprised." She said with a tone of guilt. He heard her voice tremble and he could not help but smile slyly at the sound of it.

"It's been a long day. Fatigue can make us cranky." He responded haughtily.

She swallowed hard and nodded. He has a point. "Yes. It does make us cranky…" she said softly, realizing that she has made him cranky already. "Well goodnight." She turned and walked away, leaving him there.

He was about to say something else, wanting to apologize in his part, but it was too late. When he sat up again, she was already gone.

He stared at the empty doorway for a few moments before he took a deep breath and plopped down on the bed again, pulling the blanket up to his chin. He stared up at the ceiling, realizing that everything felt different already. He did not feel sick anymore, though he still felt tired and stressed out. "Must be because of the adrenalin rush this afternoon when I fell off the building shooting the bloody box." He thought to himself.

But then the whole of reality began to sink in. He had little resources left and he had to make a living for himself with what remains from his money. And looking up at the dark ceiling with pipes and some cobwebs, he began to feel uncomfortable upon realizing that this was his first night without all the luxuries his former life had offered him. And he began to feel the coldness of the evening air coming from outside, even though the windows were closed and the radiator was switched on.

"God, let me wake up in a much happier place than this one…" he prayed silently with a miserable look on his face before closing his eyes, letting himself drift off to sleep.

oOoOo

Around 1:30 in the morning, just an hour after closing time, Tifa and the Turks had finished cleaning up.

The others had been asleep for a couple of hours already and by the time they locked the doors and got upstairs, Tifa was the one who showed the Turks to their respective rooms.

"I don't know who's going to sleep in which room because Barret is the one who arranged the two vacant rooms. Sorry if they're small but it's all we have right now." Tifa said.

"Nah. Don't be sorry, Miss Lockhart. We don't mind." Elena said with a reassuring smile on her face.

"Where's the President?" Tseng asked, turning to Tifa.

"He's in Cloud's room. Don't worry, I am very sure he's safe with Cloud around." Tifa said with a wink.

Tseng nodded with a pleased smile on his face. "I'm really thankful for you people. Who would've thought ShinRa and AVALANCHE would get along someday." He said before turning to his Turks. "Reno, Elena, you stay together in that room near Cloud's. I'll be with Rude." He explained.

Elena's eyes widened in shock. "Like, what?" she demanded in annoyance.

"Whehehey!" Reno cheered with a malicious look on his face.

"No monkey business, Reno." Tseng warned sternly before turning to Rude. "We'll stay in this room closer to the stairs so that we could hear noises from downstairs." He said.

"Yes, sir." Rude said, nodding his head as Tseng led the way to their room.

"But Boss! Reno might do something to me!" Elena wailed.

"Elena, stop complaining and just do your job. This is for the President!" Tseng pointed out.

Elena pouted.

"Chill out, Elena. I have no interest in you so far. Haha." Reno teased, nudging her with his elbow meaning to annoy her.

"Ugh. Just stay away from me!" she snapped as she moved away from him and went ahead to their room.

Tifa fought the urge to snicker. "Good night, everyone. Thanks for the evening." She said before heading for her own room which she shares with Yuffie.

As soon Reno and Elena got inside their room and he shut the door, they stared at each other with probing gazes… and they both rushed to the bed.

"I GOT IT FIRST!" Elena cheered happily as she dived and landed on the bed.

Reno landed on the floor when he attempted to dive onto the bed. "Damn!" he reacted in annoyance as he slowly got up again, trying not to mind the pain he was feeling all over his body because of his impact to the ground. He went over to the chair by the window upon seeing the extra blankets and pillows resting on top of it with the extra mattress leaning against the wall beside it. "You think the Prez is sleeping on the floor?" he asked mindlessly.

Elena kicked off her shoes and blinked. "I don't know. I'm sure Cloud wouldn't let him. I mean, he's still sick, I guess." She pointed out with a frown on her face. She sighed as she sat up on the bed and watched Reno arranging his own area on the floor. "You think he's going to be okay?" she asked as she slowly removed her black blazer while trying her best not to wince in pain, but Reno saw her and the look on her face. He eyed her curiously, "You alright?" he asked.

"Just… some scratches." She replied weakly.

Reno's eyes widened upon seeing her bloodstained white long-sleeved polo. "Damn! What happened to you?" he demanded as he dropped the pillows on the floor and rushed immediately to her, seizing her arms.

"Ow! Slow down! You're hurting me!" she cried out in pain.

From the other rooms, Tifa stopped brushing her hair when she heard Elena say that. She blushed slightly and giggled.

Rufus, opened his eyes upon hearing the noise coming from Reno and Elena's room. "Blimey…" he muttered.

Cloud stirred. "Damn. They should get a room…" he murmured.

"They are in a room." Rufus replied before slowly drifting off to sleep again.

Tseng was snickering in his own room with Rude. His companion's face was red while trying his best to remain poker-faced. "Looks like Reno scored tonight, huh?" Tseng asked.

Rude just kept quiet, feeling embarrassed for his friend.

Vincent just covered his face with a blanket as he kept still on his own bed. "Oh dear…" he muttered to himself.

Reno frowned at her, "Shh! Do you want the president to wake up because of your noise?" he asked as he rolled up the sleeves and saw that her arms were wrapped with bandages. "Who did this to you?" he asked with a concerned look on his face as he saw too much blood seeping through the bandages.

She withdrew her hands from him. "Tseng and I had been captured and tortured by those three silver-haired freaks, alright?" she said weakly as she decided to lie down and face away from him.

"But… what about Tseng? Does he have the same…" he began.

"He's got a few stitches but he's fine. We went to a hospital first before coming to rescue the Prez." She replied.

"What about you?" he asked.

"We don't have money, okay? We barely even had enough to pay for his hospital bills. So never mind." She muttered miserably.

Reno was amazed and shock at the same time. How could Elena remain cheerful and active despite her condition? "So that's why she looks too pale…" he thought to himself. Carefully, he lifted her up from the bed and carried her to the door. "Hey!" Elena reacted in shock.

"I'm not going to let you bleed to death. And I wouldn't want to wake up later on with a dead woman sleeping on that bed just because of loss of blood!" he said with a stern tone.

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded in annoyance. She just wants to rest, but he was already taking her downstairs.

"To the nearest hospital or clinic." He told her.

"Aren't you going to tell Tseng?" Elena asked.

"No need to." He responded as he opened the door and stepped out with her.

"It's like, the middle of the night!" she exclaimed.

"But this is an emergency!" he told her as he made his way through the streets of Edge.

"Geez. This is complicated…" Elena muttered to herself. "What if they start looking for us?" she demanded.

Reno rolled his eyes. "You talk too much! Just shut up and relax!" he told her in annoyance as he began to look around, searching for other people on the streets. "Gotta ask around where we can take you though…" he muttered with an uncomfortable look on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

The Simple Life

Chapter 3

"No… not yet, not yet…" Cloud was mumbling.

Rufus slowly opened his eyes, awakened by the sounds that Cloud was making. He carefully propped himself up with his left elbow and looked at Cloud, still sleeping on the mattress on the floor. Then he heard the sound of a vibrating mobile phone against the wooden floor. "Alarm," he muttered as he plopped down on the bed again.

Cloud reached out for his mobile phone rather sleepily and pressed a random key for it to stop.

"What time is it anyway?" Rufus asked as he eyed the window, seeing that it was morning already.

"Don't want to know…" Cloud muttered sleepily as he covered himself with his blanket once more.

Rufus remembered that he had his own mobile phone and he began to search for it in his pockets. Finally, he pulled it out from his right trouser pocket. He flipped open the screen and looked at the time. 7:15.

"7:15." He announced.

Cloud did not move.

"Why do you have to wake up at 7:15?" Rufus asked.

"Actually it's supposed to be 6:30. I've been snoozing the phone since it first went off. I want to sleep some more." Cloud admitted.

Rufus sighed. "What are you going to do anyway?" he asked.

"…Delivery." Cloud replied after a few seconds of silence from him. He seemed to be lagging because of drowsiness. "You know the feeling of just wanting to relax after all the troubles in your life?" he asked Rufus.

Rufus turned to him. "So you're saying all the troubles in your life are over?" he asked.

"…Wanna trade places with me and find out how horrible Sephiroth is and those three clones?" Cloud asked.

Rufus chuckled lightly at what he said. "I could trade places with you, but I've already seen how horrible Sephiroth is and those three clones." He pointed out with a sly smile on his face as he rolled his eyes.

"…Well then you should try losing someone… important to you. You'll find out what I mean. And you'll feel all guilty and… stuff like that." Cloud hesitated.

Rufus raised his eyebrows at him. "Well, frankly speaking I haven't experienced that yet." He said.

"You should try it then. For experience." Cloud got up, stretching. Rufus fought the urge to laugh upon seeing Cloud clad in blue pajamas.

"Hah. Even if it comes my way, I can handle it. And I don't feel guilty when it comes to those things." Rufus told him.

Cloud gathered his normal everyday clothes and got out of the room without saying anything else.

Rufus just looked up at the ceiling, listening to the random noises around him coming from outside the window, downstairs and along the hallway outside the room. Sounds ranging from the chirping of birds, footsteps, car horns, children laughing and running, motorcycles, trucks, cars passing by…

And Tifa yelling, "Yuffie!" from downstairs.

oOoOo

"What?" Yuffie stomped her way downstairs and went to the kitchen area where she saw Tifa rummaging through the freezer.

"You forgot to buy ham, cheese, bacon and eggs again." Tifa said.

Yuffie blinked and eyed her rather sleepily. "You woke me up because of that?" she asked stubbornly.

"Well somebody else has got to do the chores aside from me!" Tifa said.

"So what if we don't have ham, cheese, bacon and eggs today? We can just have bread for breakfast. Big deal." Yuffie said.

Tifa approached her. "You seem to be forgetting that we have the President in our company." She said with a low tone.

Yuffie's eyes widened at her. "Since when did you give a damn about what he would think if you serve him salted dried fish or anchovies?" she asked in exasperation.

Tifa opened her mouth to say something, but Yuffie did not even give her a chance. The ninja continued, "He's not here to treat you like a servant, Tifa. He's a guest here and whatever we have here should suffice for what he needs to continue living, do you understand?"

Tifa blinked, but when she was about to say something in reaction to what Yuffie said, the ninja cut her off again, "I'm sure you do. Now serve him whatever else we have left here!"

Tifa kept quiet for a few seconds, waiting for Yuffie to say something else. And she seized the opportunity to finally speak when Yuffie breathed in. "Yuffie, are you trying to find a way not to do the shopping today?" she asked.

Yuffie narrowed her eyes at her. "Okay fine. I'll do it…" she muttered miserably as she turned around to go back upstairs. "I'll just change into something decent than these pajamas…" she muttered as she climbed up the stairs again.

Tifa shook her head in disbelief. "That girl… is unbelievable!" she said in disbelief before proceeding back to the refrigerator.

"Well, she's Wutaian Royalty. What do you expect?"

She turned around and saw Tseng coming in. She smiled uncomfortably at him. "Oh. Good morning, Tseng." She greeted.

Tseng nodded his head in greeting. "Do you need help, Miss Lockheart?" he asked.

She smiled nicely. "Well if it wouldn't be such a burden to you…" she began.

Tseng shook his head. "You're our new boss too, remember?" he asked with a friendly smile on his face.

She shrugged. "Alright. You can feed Red XIII." She told him.

He began to search the kitchen for some dog kibble. "What do you feed him?" he asked.

"Dog kibble for breakfast and some cow's milk. Treat it like cereal. His dish is by the cupboard near the trash…" she explained before turning to the doorway when she noticed Cloud standing there and observing them.

"Oh. Hi, Cloud." She greeted with a weird look on her face, wondering what he was doing there.

Cloud just looked at her. "Do you have the package list?" he asked.

Tifa blinked. "No." she replied.

He frowned. "How can I deliver the packages if I don't have that list?" he asked.

"I have no idea…" she replied mindlessly as she brought out some left-over bread that she could toast.

Cloud just rolled his eyes and turned away, proceeding upstairs again, realizing that his friend was too busy to help him. Just then Tseng called out to him, "I think Reno has it. He was reviewing it last night. He said he'd help you today."

Cloud continued his way upstairs and went to the room where Reno and Elena were supposed to be staying, but when he arrived there and knocked, nobody was answering. "Still asleep, huh?" he thought, remembering the noise he and Rufus had heard last night coming from that room. He fought the urge to snicker and smile maliciously.

"_Cloud, you have a dirty mind…"_

It was the voice in his head again.

He looked up at the ceiling and smiled. "Good morning." He greeted softly.

"_No one's there."_

He blinked. "Oh?" he asked as he opened the door to verify. He stepped inside the room.

The voice was right.

"Well… where are they?" he asked.

"_There has been some trouble with Elena, so Reno took her to a nearby clinic so that she can be treated."_

"Why? Did he get her pregnant and now he wants to check?" he asked in awe.

"_No, silly! Teehee! Oh Cloud, the things that you're thinking are really funny…"_

Cloud smiled softly upon hearing her laugh. "I was only joking," he said reassuringly as he saw the list by the bedside table. He went to pick it up. "Well, I have to get to work." He said.

"_I'll go with you like always…_"

He could not stop himself from smiling even as he got out of the room. "Should I tell the others about Reno and Elena?" he asked.

"_They'll find out sooner or later. Just get to work._"

He nodded. "Alright…" he answered softly.

"Who're you talking to?" Yuffie interrupted as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Cloud jerked slightly in surprise, but he just looked at Yuffie ridiculously.

She frowned at him as he walked away from her and just descended the stairs silently.

The voice in his head was laughing at him. "_I'll bet she's already thinking that you're nuts!"_

He just kept quiet as he went to the third storey of the house, entering a storage room to get five boxes. He kept his silence until he got outside and went to his motorcycle. "I can't tell them about you." He finally answered.

He felt her touch his face from behind him. "_In time, Cloud. In time…_"

As soon as Cloud took off, Yuffie stepped out of the house and putting some paper Gil into the pockets of her shorts. She stopped by the sidewalk and looked up at the sunny blue skies. She pouted. "It's going to be a long day…" she muttered miserably before proceeding to walk down the streets of Edge.

She reached the bus stop and wondered if she should take the bus or not, counting the amount of money she currently has in her mind. "Tifa gave me 100 Gil. I have 50 Gil for my own spending…" she was thinking before she noticed that someone came up to her and stood beside her. "Excuse me, miss."

She turned to him and saw how big and tall he was compared to her. She even thought it was Cloud because of what he was wearing that looked similar to Cloud's old clothes from two years back, but when she looked up at his face, she realized that it was not him. It was another man. Black spiky hair and dark blue eyes…

She took a step away from him.

"Oh… please don't be afraid. I just saw that you dropped this." He showed her a blue materia.

She blinked. "Gee… I don't recall bringing that with me…" she began, but took the materia from him anyway and placed it in her pocket.

"That's materia, right?" he asked.

She smiled. "Yep." She replied.

"What sort of materia?" he asked.

"Not really sure…" she answered before turning to the bus as it arrived. But she just stood still and did not board the bus. She just watched with a troubled look on her face as the other passengers boarded the bus… and she looked away when the driver of the bus turned to her. "Getting in, miss?" he asked.

The man who gave her the materia eyed her with a concerned look on his face. "What's wrong? Aren't you getting in?" he asked.

"Don't have enough for the fare. I'll just walk to the market." She answered with a hard tone.

He smiled and turned to the bus driver. "Yes, she's getting in," he took her hand and dragged her into the bus.

"Oh my gawd! What are you doing?" she exclaimed in annoyance.

"Well I'm going to the market too. Let's go together. I'll pay for your fare." He told her.

She was surprised at him.

He pulled out some coins from his pocket and handed it to the bus driver before he and Yuffie took their seats near the back of the bus.

She sat by the window, feeling rather uncomfortable even when she was secretly thankful for the stranger who was nice enough to let her ride the bus with him and he even paid her fare.

"Thanks, man." She said. "Damn. What if he's a maniac or a rapist or something?" her conscience was nagging her already.

He smiled kindly at her. "It's nothing." He said.

"So, why are you going to the market?" she asked.

"I just thought I'd eat breakfast. There are cheap restaurants there." He answered.

"Ew. Aren't they street foods?" she asked in disgust.

He stared at her in wonder. "You live here in Midgar and you're not used to street foods?" he asked.

"Excuse me, this is Edge." She corrected.

"Still part of Midgar." He pointed out with a calm smile on his face.

She felt bothered. "How come he's always smiling…" she thought to herself. "Whatever. It's the slums. I don't want to get hepatitis or typhoid or salmonella or whatever disease you could get from eating dirty food." She told him airily.

He shrugged. "You're from uptown, aren't you?" he asked.

"What do you care?" she asked stubbornly.

He was quiet.


	4. Chapter 4

The Simple Life

Chapter Four

oOoOo

But Rufus disobeyed Tifa.

Upon arriving home, they discovered that Reno and Elena were really missing.

"Aren't they helping Cloud?" Rufus asked Tseng with a suspicious look on his face.

Tseng just shook his head. He was seated by the telephone in Cloud's small office in the topmost floor of the house, recording messages and listing client names. "I tried calling Reno but it seems like he has left his mobile phone in his room. Same with Elena." He explained.

"Bloody hell…" Rufus was about to say something else but Tifa cut him off, "That is enough, Rufus. I'll take care of everything. Just stay in your room and rest. Your face is red." She grabbed his hand and dragged him downstairs to the second floor where his room is located.

"So what if I'm red?" he demanded impatiently.

"You are flushed. It's cold today and you're feeling warm. Just lie down and rest." She opened the door to Cloud's room where Rufus is sharing it with him. She made Rufus lie down on the bed and rushed to the door again, "Yuffie!" she called out.

No answer.

She sighed heavily. "Blimey, where is that girl! She has been gone for more than an hour already!" she muttered before stepping out of the room.

Rufus wondered where she was going, until he heard some footsteps approaching the room. He saw Vincent Valentine enter.

Rufus stared at him in an estranged manner. "I'm sure she told you to guard me." He told Vincent.

Vincent just grabbed a chair and sat down by the bed. "Not really. She told me to watch over you." He answered.

Silence.

Rufus did not move, Vincent was the same.

"Say something, your silence is making me ill." Rufus muttered.

"You want a bedtime story?" Vincent asked.

"Take me to the living room. I would like to watch some TV." Rufus answered.

"No TV for you. You have a fever." Vincent told him.

"What? But I'm bored!" Rufus said.

Silence.

"How do you know that I have a fever? You haven't even touched me yet." Rufus told him slyly.

"You look flushed, the heat is emanating from your body and I can feel it, and Tifa told me so." Vincent answered simply as he looked at Rufus, examining the exasperated look on his face.

"Really now, you believe that woman?" Rufus asked airily as he eyed Vincent annoyingly.

"I should. She is my friend." Vincent said. "Now which fairytale would you like to hear? Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Mermaid…" he continued.

"Aren't I too old for fairytales?" Rufus asked in annoyance as he crossed his arms.

Vincent crossed his arms. "Very well, you want a more mature story?" he asked.

Rufus's eyes widened at him. "Pornography?" he asked in amazement.

Vincent just stared at him with a stiff look on his face, "Once upon a time, there was a Turk…" he began.

"Oh. Splendid. Enlighten me." Rufus said sarcastically.

"…who fell in-love with a scientist." Vincent continued.

Rufus slowly sat up and eyed him suspiciously.

Vincent proceeded, looking away from Rufus. "But then there was an evil man who took her away…"

"…And the evil man experimented on her, used her so that a monster would be born. And that evil man captured the Turk, turned his left arm into a metal claw and put him to sleep inside a coffin locked up in the basement of a big mansion in a far-away kingdom." Rufus continued for him with a bored look on his face.

Vincent stared at him in shock.

Rufus smiled slyly at him.

Vincent moved closer to him. "What do you know about my life?" he asked softly.

"Only the minor details. Would you mind elaborating everything to me now?" Rufus asked as he leaned against the wall by the window and adjusted his blanket.

Vincent felt embarrassed that Rufus knew about him.

"Alright, if it would please you to know, I read every single file of the Turks from past to present when I was still the Vice President in Junon, that's why I know what happened to you." Rufus told him with a stiff look on his face.

"So it was documented after all…" Vincent muttered miserably. "So, everybody knows?" he asked curiously.

Rufus shrugged. "Depending on who read the file. I just found it hidden in one file cabinet in the archives of the Records Section." He answered.

Vincent just looked away in misery. "You must think I'm very pathetic…" he said softly.

"Don't care. I want to watch TV now." Rufus told him.

"You can't watch TV downstairs. You have to stay here and rest." Vincent told him sternly.

"Well then bring the TV up here so that I can watch." Rufus said.

"The space in this room is too small for a TV to fit in here." Vincent answered.

Rufus grunted and let himself fall down on the bed again, lying down in annoyance. "Bloody hell. What do you do for fun then?" he asked in exasperation.

"We can play cards." Vincent suggested after a moment of silence.

"I _don't_ play cards." Rufus pointed out snobbishly.

"Not even Old Maid?" Vincent asked.

"…that's ridiculous. We're men and we're playing Old Maid… unless one of us is gay…" Rufus began to eye him suspiciously.

Vincent raised an eyebrow at him. "Hey, I know I look like this but it doesn't mean I'm gay." He protested with a serious look on his face.

"I didn't say anything." Rufus said, turning away.

"What do you want to do then if you don't want to play cards?" Vincent asked.

"I want to watch TV." Rufus said.

"No you can't." Vincent said sternly.

Rufus gave up and just sighed heavily. "Fine." He muttered.

Vincent eyed him curiously. "You're an only child, aren't you?" he asked.

"Everybody knows that." Rufus told him.

"You're spoiled, you're conceited, you're too arrogant, you go on your own merry way…" Vincent began.

"Thank you for pointing it out. But you're stereotyping." Rufus answered before getting up on his own to put on his shoes.

"What are you doing?" Vincent asked.

"I need to go to the bathroom." Rufus told him before getting up and walked out of the room.

Vincent followed after him.

Rufus found the bathroom by himself and just as he was about to enter, he noticed that Vincent was still trailing close behind him. He turned around to face him. "Pardon me, but I need to take a leak, if you know what I mean, and I would like to wash my face." He said.

"Do so." Vincent said.

Rufus was silent. "Alone." He pointed out.

"No." Vincent said.

Rufus was mortified.

"You're sick. You might fall down and hit your head on the toilet or something. I'm guarding you." Vincent told him.

"Look, I know you're one of the best Turks from your time, but I don't need your guidance right now." Rufus told him.

"Well I won't watch. I'll just be inside with you but I'll stand by the door. Nothing to be ashamed of, we're both men." Vincent told him calmly.

Rufus was not in the mood to start an argument and he would not want anybody else to know the reason why he was annoyed with Vincent. "Fine." He muttered.

oOoOo

"This is really beginning to annoy me…" Cloud muttered.

"_What's the matter?_"

"I can't find the address. It's just here in Kalm but we've been going around in circles here, we still haven't found the house." He answered as he stopped his Fenrir for a moment by the pavement and looked back at the package that was behind him and was tied safely on the seat. "This is actually the last delivery job for today." He said as he brought out the paper containing the list of clients, recipients and addresses.

"_7 Hillside, Kalm…_"

"Yep, that's it." Cloud said.

"_Oh Cloud. No wonder you can't find it! It's probably one of the houses by the hills! All the while you were just circling around the town proper._"

Cloud's eyes widened. "Damn, you're right… why didn't I think of that…"

"_You're getting older! Teehee!_"

"Haha. Very funny, Aerith." He said sarcastically before starting his Fenrir again and rode off towards the hills.

When he finally located the house, he realized that he was in one of the big haciendas in Kalm.

"_What a big place…_"

"Yeah. I wonder who owns this…" Cloud said in wonder as he finally reached the front porch and stopped his Fenrir. He got down, untied the package and lifted it up to his chest, grunting in the process. "Man, this is heavy…" he muttered as he walked to the front door and searched for a doorbell. When he found that there was none, he just decided to knock.

After waiting for a few moments, someone opened the door from inside. An old man appeared in front of him… a very old man.

"Uhm… I've got a delivery for Mr. James Walker Sr." Cloud said.

The man looked up at him, squinting because of his bad eyesight. "Oh yes… thank you, young man. Just… put it down there…" the man told him.

Cloud placed the package on the floor and took a deep breath as he got back to his Fenrir to get his signature sheet. "Could you sign this please?" he asked.

The old man squinted as Cloud handed him the signature sheet and a pen. Slowly, the man began to sign with a trembling hand.

"You're alone in this big place, gramps?" Cloud asked curiously.

"My son James Jr. used to live here. He died in Midgar during Meteor. His children live in Edge and they send me supplies here every month… I guess you're the one to deliver them today." The old man explained before handing the signature sheet and the pen back to Cloud. "I am just waiting for a buyer for this big place and then I can finally move in with my grandchildren in Edge. This place just needs a caretaker so I've decided to remain here until someone buys this hacienda. I've put it on sale but nobody wants to buy it because of its ratty condition…" the old man said.

Cloud looked around. The fields are empty; there were no cows or buffalos grazing, no horses running around, no chocobos either. The house itself was big but it really needed a lot of maintenance.

"_Ask him how much._"

Cloud's eyes widened. "Are you nuts? This could be very expensive!" he was thinking to himself.

"_Just ask him, Cloud. You might know someone who can be interested. In a way, you'll be helping this old man. He looks like he really needs the care of his grandchildren already…_"

Cloud swallowed hard. "Fine, Aerith…" he thought before turning back to the old man. "How much are you selling the place?" he asked.

"The whole hacienda? 20,000 Gil only. I want this place out of my life. It just brings back a lot of bad memories!" the old man said exasperatingly.

Cloud's eyes widened. The calculator in his mind began to work. "Gee… I have more than 2 million Gil that nobody else knows that I have… except maybe for Aerith. … and I'm not even using it. Maybe I could buy this place…" he thought. "20,000? That's the final price?" he asked.

"Yes, that's it." The old man said.

Cloud smiled proudly at the old man. "I'll buy it." He said.

The old man looked up at him in shock. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"You have that kind of money?" the old man asked.

Cloud blinked. He was being judged by his appearance and his job again. "Yes, sir, I do. In fact I could get it right now from the bank and pay you in cash by 3 in the afternoon today." He told the old man rather confidently, not letting the old man's judgment affect his wanting to help the old man.

The old man smiled kindly at him. "Oh, thank you young man! Sure, sure. I'll be waiting for you here." He said.

Cloud nodded. "Thank you, sir. I'll see you this afternoon" He said before leaving.

As he was riding back to Midgar, he heard her voice again, "_Teehee. Think rich and look poor. I think that's your motto._"

"I wouldn't want to look like Rufus ShinRa, you know." Cloud answered with a slight smile on his face.

"_Why not? Rufus is a charming young man. Every girl likes to be married to someone like him!"_

"…does that mean that you don't find me charming and you like him too and you want to marry him?" Cloud asked with a frown, feeling rather offended.

"_Teehee! Of course not. I'm just stating the facts about Rufus. Of course I like you better, Cloud. For me, you're the greatest man on the Planet._"

He blushed when he heard that, but he did not say anything else.

"_And where did you get all that money? You're even richer than Tifa! And she's been working in that bar for quite some time now."_

"From my past adventures, killing monsters, defeating SOLDIERs… and then there's my wit and I guess I'm simply good with my tactics." He said with a proud smile on his face.

"_You're already turning into a Rufus. You even sounded a bit like him except that you have the Midgarian accent! Is that what happens after a night of sleeping with him?_"

"Aerith! I was just joking!" Cloud protested with an offended look on his face.

He heard her laugh.

He smiled slightly and just decided to focus on the road.

oOoOo

It was already 11:57 when Yuffie arrived… near lunchtime. "I'm back!" she announced with a happy smile on her face as she dragged the grocery bags to the kitchen.

Tifa stopped staring at the boiling soup in the pot when Yuffie entered the kitchen. She crossed her arms. "Just where have you been and what took you so long to get back here?" she demanded in annoyance.

"Whoa. You're in some cranky mood today." Yuffie said.

Tifa wondered why Yuffie was happy. "Who would not be bloody cranky if they asked someone to do the bloody groceries earlier in the morning and then comes back at bloody noon?" she asked in exasperation.

Yuffie began to put the things she purchased from the market in their proper places. "Are you _bloody _PMS-ing or something?" she mocked with a silly smile on her face.

"I am not. I'm frustrated. You're late! Now all I have to serve Rufus, Vincent, Denzel and myself is chicken noodle soup from the last small can of soup that I found in the cupboard!" Tifa told her as she turned her attention back to the soup and began to stir it.

"You used to never complain whenever we have less to eat… until Rufus came along…" Yuffie teased. "Oh yeah, I ran into Reno a while ago. He said that Elena is in a clinic and she needs to rest because she has a lot of injuries because of those silver-haired freaks. He's guarding her." She added.

Tifa sighed heavily. "So that's why they're not around. Tseng and Rude were wondering too. They're out right now doing rounds." she told her. "Did you buy any canned soup aside from the ones that I told you to buy?" she asked.

"Uh… no. Because I only have enough money for what you told me to buy." Yuffie answered.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Oh no… Will this even fit the five of us here?" she asked.

"I got a better idea. Let's just eat in a restaurant." Yuffie suggested.

"No way. Have you forgotten that Rufus is sick? I don't want him out of his room. I want him to rest. And I don't want him getting into any more trouble like what happened this morning on the way back from Marlene's school. We were attacked by those bloody gangsters. Luckily he didn't get hurt. He totally…" Tifa trailed off when she noticed that her lips were curling into a smile.

Yuffie was already looking at her. "…he totally what?" she asked curiously.

Tifa was unaware that Yuffie was looking at her facial expression. "…he protected me actually. He beat all of them." She stammered.

Yuffie grinned as she sat down. "If he's that strong, how come you don't want him to go out?" she asked.

"He is sick, Yuffie. He's still weak. He over-exerted himself when he decided to fight back those goons. I never even expected that he would bring his shotgun with him…" Tifa answered.

Yuffie was just quiet. "So where is he now?" she asked after a moment.

"Upstairs with Vincent." Tifa answered. "So what took you so long to return?" she asked.

Yuffie figured that Tifa was finally calm so she answered the question: "I met this really cool guy… he's cute too!" she said with a giggly tone.

Tifa was surprised. "A guy?" she asked.

"Like, yeah! He's tall and muscular and…" Yuffie trailed off when she remembered something.

"And what?" Tifa asked, getting more curious.

"Er… and I don't think I should be telling you more stuff about him." Yuffie told her as she turned away and crossed her arms with an uncomfortable look on her face.

"Why not?" Tifa asked.

"...because he told me not to tell anyone about him." Yuffie was thinking to herself, but this is what she answered to Tifa: "Because he doesn't know that I have a crush on him and I'd like to keep it a secret."

Tifa smiled and shrugged, understanding the situation. "Sure. Whatever you please…" she said before switching off the stove. She got an oven mitt and lifted the pot off from the stove and carefully poured its contents into a bowl… but she knew it was only fit for one person. "Blimey! What am I going to do now?" she cried out in frustration.

"Feed Rufus the soup and let's have a pizza delivered." Yuffie suggested. "Or better yet, you can stay here and take care of Rufus, while Vincent, Denzel and I can just have lunch somewhere and buy you some take-out." She added.

Tifa had a frown on her face. Frustration could clearly be seen in her eyes. "…I thought you don't have any money?" she asked.

"There are cheap street foods here in Edge." Yuffie told her.

Tifa sighed heavily before yelling Vincent and Denzel's names.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

oOoOo

"Tifa was really upset about you arriving later than your expected time of arrival for your trip to the market." Vincent pointed out to Yuffie as they were eating some rice toppings at a cheap Wutaian restaurant in an area near Sector 7 with Denzel.

Yuffie clenched her jaw with food still in her mouth. Slowly, she swallowed and eyed Vincent like she would eye an adult scolding her for doing something bad. "Well… something came up in the market and I had a hard time haggling with the prices because of the limited amount of money she gave me." She answered.

Vincent narrowed his eyes at her. "Bloody hell, don't tell me you _stole_ those goods?" he asked in disbelief.

"Hey, hey! I people might mistake me as a thief, but I'm a ninja, and like, yeah, just for the record, like, I only steal materia, okay?" she answered back in defense. She hated it whenever people would accuse her of something that she did not do.

Vincent just sat still and eyed Yuffie carefully before turning his attention to Denzel. When he saw some stray rice on the boy's chin and cheeks, he got a tissue and wiped them off. "Careful, Denzel." He told him.

Denzel sniffed and nodded before continuing to eat. "Why are we eating here? Isn't there any food in the house?" he asked.

"We have food in the house. However… it's not enough to feed too many people. So maybe this afternoon I might volunteer to go shopping for Tifa. Would you like to accompany me?" Vincent asked.

"Oh that's very nice of you." Yuffie told Vincent sarcastically.

"Sure. There's nothing to do at home anyway." Denzel told Vincent.

Vincent turned back to Yuffie. "And you, Miss Kisaragi, you can do the laundry and clean the upstairs bathroom." He told her.

"What? Why?" Yuffie demanded in annoyance as she dropped her chopsticks on her bowl. "I don't do bathrooms, okay?"

"There's no one else around the house to do all the household chores. You might as well help out." Vincent told her.

Yuffie's eyebrow twitched as she frowned. "Why not let the sick boy upstairs clean the bathroom?" she asked airily.

"Rufus is sick. He can't do strenuous activities." He answered.

"I can clean the bathroom." Denzel volunteered.

"No, you're coming with me to the grocery." Vincent told him sternly.

"Man, you're starting to sound like someone in authority around here…" Yuffie muttered as she picked up her chopsticks again and continued to eat.

"Because you're too spoiled…" Vincent was thinking to himself quietly. "You're like the more talkative and noisier female version of Rufus ShinRa…" he muttered in a volume he thought that would be audible enough for only himself to understand.

"You're saying something?" Yuffie demanded with a frown on her face.

"…No." he answered simply before he continued to eat.

Yuffie's frown deepened. "…I totally heard that. You said I'm like Rufus." She pointed out. "I'm a ninja. I was trained to have a keen sense of hearing." She added as an explanation because she knew he would be wondering how she could have heard what he said.

Vincent was just dumbfounded but he did not let that affect him very much. He just ignored her, realizing that any further conversation about the matter might make her too aggressive.

oOoOo

It was 2:15 when Rufus ShinRa opened his eyes from his afternoon nap when he heard Tifa calling out his name gently. "Rufus,"

She was just standing by the bed and looking at him curiously. "You awake?" she asked.

Rufus grunted and sat up. "What time is it?" he asked.

"2:15. We have to leave now." She told him.

He nodded. And just as he hung out his feet from the bed to the ground, he was surprised when she crouched down and put on his shoes for him. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm putting on your shoes." She said with a cheerful tone.

He frowned slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable. "…Aren't you spoiling me?" he asked.

"I am not spoiling you. You are ill and weak and I'm just helping you." She told him as she got up and got a comb to fix Rufus's hair. "Do you want to brush it back?" she asked.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Rufus asked, feeling like he was suddenly in the twilight zone.

"Do you want me to brush it back for you? Like how you used to do it two years ago when I first… saw you?" she asked, feeling embarrassed at the end of her question.

Rufus eyed her curiously. "No, thank you. It's fine this way." He told her.

She sniffed his hair.

"Bloody…what the bloody hell are you doing?" he asked as he moved slightly away from her.

"When was the last time you had your hair washed?" she asked.

"…3 days ago." He answered, feeling a little embarrassed. When he was still well and even back in the days when he was in the Healin Lodge, he would insist on having his hair washed everyday. Now, he was not sure if he could even condition it.

She ran her fingers through his hair mindlessly. "You really have nice hair. It's still soft and it isn't oily and sticky yet even if you haven't washed it for three days already." She told him with an amazed smile on her face. "Oh well. You're a rich boy. You're like a god; a golden boy." She said, shrugging as she combed his hair again.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, feeling so weird.

"Nothing. I'm just amused by the fact that you're here living the simple life with us." She said before putting the comb aside. She stepped back so that he could stand up.

Rufus could still feel like he was in the twilight zone as he stared at Tifa unbelievably. "…it's the fact that you're a ShinRa, Rufus." He was scolding himself as he looked away from her and got up carefully. He picked up his mobile phone and his wallet and shoved them inside the secret pockets of his blazer while Tifa was not looking.

As they got out of the room, Tifa called out to Yuffie, "We're leaving now! If we're not back by 5, start worrying and start cooking dinner for them!"

Yuffie, while scrubbing the floor of the shower area grunted. "Like, yeah, sure, fine, whatever." She answered, rolling her eyes.

"What's she doing in the bathroom?" Rufus asked.

"Vincent told her to do the laundry and to clean the bathroom afterwards. Anyway, he's doing the grocery shopping with Denzel." Tifa explained.

"That's odd. I mean Yuffie scrubbing toilets…" he told her as she guided him in descending the stairs.

"Why do you find that odd?" she asked.

"She's Wutaian Royalty. As far as I'm concerned, she's very spoiled and she's a daddy's little girl." He answered.

"You knew her before?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well she was still very young back then. My old man visited Wutai to discuss business with Lord Godo Kisaragi and he took me with him. I was only 13 and Yuffie was only 8. She kicked me in the groin when I refused to play with her." He pointed out with an annoyed look on his face.

Tifa laughed at what he said.

"Well who would want to play with such a bratty princess? She wanted me to play dolls with her, for the love of cake!" He complained as they got out of the house and began to walk down the streets of Edge. "It's the same with Aerith when I was 7. She's a year older but that did not stop me from playing authority figure, after all she was just staying in the laboratory back then for some tests…"

"You knew Aerith?" Tifa asked in disbelief.

"Of course I did." Rufus answered with a ridiculous look on his face. "I'd never forget the time when I visited the lab, she was there and Sephiroth was also there… I could recall him telling me to play with Aerith because he didn't want to. Since I was _too nice_ back then, I agreed. When I saw Aerith, she whacked my head with this weird-looking doll with blonde spiky hair. Those spikes really hurt!" he told her.

Tifa laughed again. She was glad that Rufus was opening up to her and that he was actually talking to her. They were not aware, however, that people were staring at them as they were passing by, and that they were holding hands as they were walking.

"But Aerith is a nice girl, really." Tifa told him.

Rufus laughed slightly. "Oh you don't know the rest. Sometimes I thought my old man favored her instead of me. Or maybe he just bought her all those presents to keep her interested in staying in ShinRa so that Professor Hojo could experiment on her…" he told her. "One time she was asked to join me for dinner by my old man. She sat next to me. I couldn't believe Dark Nation liked her. I got so jealous of her but I couldn't do anything because my old man was there." He explained.

"So… you weren't nice to her?" she asked.

"I tried to be nice. I didn't hurt her or anything… but she would sometimes throw her dolls at me especially whenever she's having a bad day in the laboratory. I guess looking back now, it's understandable." He explained.

Tifa smiled gently at him. Rufus looked at her curiously. "Anything wrong?" he asked.

She looked away. "I've always thought that you weren't the talkative type. But you're… just… gabbing away! Haha." She said, chuckling.

His eyes widened when he realized that he had been talking so much to Tifa about himself. He looked away. "But it… seems fun talking to her. I've never really talked to someone who's really interested in what I have to say…" he thought silently to himself before telling her, "Alright then. Tell me something about your childhood. Cloud told me he grew up with you in Nibelheim."

Her smile faded. "Nibelheim…" she began to miss her life there with her father… and the fact that it had been destroyed by Sephiroth who was from ShinRa, plus the fact that ShinRa had it rebuilt to hide their wrongdoings made Tifa feel bad… and to think that she is currently walking with a ShinRa only made her feel guilty because she could remember vowing to hate that name forever. "No. Rufus is different…" she was just starting to think of that when Rufus chimed in, "I know what's on your mind. You're thinking about what my old man did to your hometown…"

She was surprised by what he said. How could he have guessed?

"I feel bad too… it was my mother's hometown. She grew up there." He told her.

She looked at him curiously. "Really?" she asked in awe.

He nodded. "Part of the World Restoration that I'm planning is returning that town back to its old state… to when it hasn't been burned yet by Sephiroth." He explained with a low tone. He sounded hopeful though.

She smiled at him gently. "That's nice." She said softly.

"So, tell me about your childhood." Rufus said, wanting to segue.

Tifa took a deep breath and looked straight ahead, focusing on the road. "Well, Cloud and I did not basically grow up together. We were so apart. He was… one of the loser kids and I hung out with the popular kids back then so we'd exclude him from our games. We all thought he was weird because he was the only one who had this weird accent, which turns out to be Midgarian. He lived alone with his mother but we thought she was weird as well. So as much as possible, we avoided the Strifes." She explained.

Rufus smiled slyly. "What about your crush on him?" he asked.

"Oh blimey! It was just a childhood crush that went on until post-adolescence. It just faded away through time." She answered with a giggly tone. "What about you? Any crushes?" she asked, not wanting to dwell on the Cloud Strife subject anymore so she decided to change the focus of the subject.

Rufus frowned. "No." he answered.

"What? Are you abnormal? Not even a classmate from school or a teacher or a female Turk or something?" she asked in disbelief.

"I am from an all-boy school, and I'm not the type of person to crush on somebody older than me." He answered.

"Didn't you like Aerith?" she asked.

"No." Rufus said simply. "And you, did you happen to like anybody else aside from Cloud?" he asked, deciding to shift the focus of the subject back to her.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. "Uh… no." she answered. She just remembered _someone _else…

"You're bluffing." He told her.

She frowned at him. "How do you know I'm bluffing?" she demanded.

"The tone of your voice and you're flushed." He answered.

She pouted. "Well I was only 7… there was this boy… he was 8 and… but daddy told me that he's bad so I just tried to forget him. And then one day the universe conspired and…" she trailed off.

"And then what?" he asked curiously.

"…never mind." She answered simply, bowing down her head.

Rufus just shrugged it off as they continued to walk.

"I still can't believe you survived the Diamond Weapon attack. The explosion was… pretty strong." Tifa told him honestly.

He just took a deep breath, remembering every single bit of what happened to him on the 70th floor as the Diamond Weapon fired toward his direction. "I know. It's hell when you're in my shoes." He told her softly.

"A near-death experience, I suppose." She told him.

He just stared straight ahead with a deep frown on his face.

"But aren't you glad you survived?" she asked with an optimistic tone.

He took a deep breath as he looked up at the skies. "I'm still alive; I guess that's something to be thankful for…" he said softly, although she thought that he was being sarcastic.

"You don't sound so happy about being alive." She pointed out.

He frowned at her. "Well I _am_ glad." He answered before looking away again, not wishing to divulge everything to her regarding his feelings about his survival.

She still wasn't sure whether he was being sarcastic or not. She just took a deep breath.

"What about you? Ever had a near-death experience?" he asked, wanting to stir the topic away from himself.

"Well yes. I was around 14 back then. I attempted to stop Sephiroth with his own weapon, but I ended up getting hurt by him instead." She answered.

"What about that time when you were asleep for seven days because you got knocked-out by this gust of wind?" he inquired.

She blinked. "When was that?" she asked.

He frowned slightly. "Blimey. You couldn't remember?" he asked in awe.

"Well I can remember getting knocked-out by a gust of wind and when I woke up you told me that… that you're going to have me executed!" she told him directly.

He widened his eyes at her. "I can assure you, it was just for a show!" he told her.

She gasped. "What?" she demanded.

They were suddenly talking too loudly that more people eyed them curiously.

"How could you do that?" she demanded in annoyance.

He just smiled slyly.

She felt appalled by his reaction. "Oh you think that's funny? What the bloody hell are you smiling about?" she demanded.

He chuckled lightly. "The fact that everyone bought it." He flipped his hair. "Oh, I'm such a good actor." He said with a pleased look on his face.

"Well that's not funny! I thought I was going to die!" she snapped, feeling offended as she turned her gaze away from him. "I'm sure you know the feeling of thinking that you're going to die and… you suddenly realize that there are a lot of things left unsaid and unrealized…" she stated with a trembling tone.

Rufus then noticed that he had been holding her hand for quite some time already because he felt his own hand getting warmer against hers. He withdrew his hand from her and shoved it inside his pocket, feeling uncomfortable. "…For example?" he asked, pretending not to know what she is talking about.

She did not answer as they crossed the street but once they got to the other side, she just remarked with a slight smile on her face, "But come to think of it, you had everybody fooled with your act. You could win an award."

He did not say anything. He just kept on walking with her. Meanwhile, she changed the subject and started to talk about the people living in her house. She began to describe them and what she thought about them to Rufus, whose facial expression indicated that he does not seem to be listening to a single word she just said; even though, he really paid attention. He just did not want to look interested and too eager.

She just stopped talking once they reached Marlene's school.

"Just in time." Rufus pointed out as he flashed a friendly grin towards the little girl with braided brown hair running towards them. "Rufus! Tifa!" Marlene cried out happily.

Tifa blinked. "Well you certainly look happy today?" she asked, putting her hands on her waist with a look of wonder on her face. Much to her surprise, Marlene hugged Rufus.

Rufus was overwhelmed as well. "Anything interesting happened?" he asked the little girl, maintaining the friendly smile on his face. Tifa was eyeing him carefully, wondering whether his smile was sincere or not. Her mouth twisted into a slight pout. "Well he seems sincere. I guess he isn't that stuck-up after all…" she thought silently to herself, and as she did so, her mouth was twisting into a satisfied smile.

Marlene showed Rufus her drawing. "I got 10 stars! A perfect 10!" she announced proudly.

Rufus and Tifa stared at Marlene's drawing curiously.

Marlene smiled cheerfully. "It's us, Rufus!" she said proudly.

It dawned the two adults that the drawing was a tall man clad in white with blonde hair and he is carrying a little girl with brown hair on his back and they were walking in a flowery field. "Oh. That's nice." Rufus decided as she got the drawing to take a closer look at it. He could see that even though it was a child's drawing with crayons as its main medium, it still looked very accurate in a symbolic manner regarding colors representing the elements and figures present in the drawing. "You can become a very good artist in the future, Marlene." He said proudly as he patted her head and gave the drawing back to her.

Marlene smiled happily. "Nah. I think I'll become a nurse." She decided as she folded her drawing and placed it inside her bag. "Wow! You and Tifa fetched me today! I think I'll draw a picture of the two of you later on!" she said happily.

Tifa's smile faded and she felt her face flushing. "Well… yes." She said softly.

Rufus observed Tifa through his peripheral vision and fought the urge to smile. With that, he turned back to Marlene and carried her up on his back again. "There you go!" he said.

Tifa's eyes widened when she saw what he did.

Marlene, on the other hand, was cheering happily. "Whee!"

"Do you want some ice cream?" Rufus asked.

Marlene nodded. "Uh-huh!" she answered eagerly.

"Now, Rufus, it might spoil her appetite for dinner!" Tifa told him sternly.

"No, it won't. It's just a little ice cream cone. It won't harm her appetite. Besides, it's only 3, and you regularly have dinner at around 7, I suppose? So by then she'd be hungry again." Rufus told her reassuringly.

Tifa observed the look on his face and it amused her to see him looking so pleased with what he's doing. She just shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Fine, do as you please, just don't end up spoiling her or we'll have trouble with her father later on." She advised with a teasing smile on her face.

"Daddy won't hate Rufus. Rufus is nice! I like him, Tifa. He's like daddy; he carries me up on his back!" Marlene said happily.

Tifa just smiled at Marlene as she and Rufus began to walk down the street.

oOoOo

As promised, Cloud was able to pay the whole 20,000 Gil to the Old Man by 3 in the afternoon. He was also surprised that the old man had already packed up his bags and his things and was just waiting for a ride to town.

After thanking the Old Man, Cloud decided to take a look around the big house.

"_Well, Cloud. Here you are. Home sweet home."_

He smiled upon hearing her voice.

"_You're planning to move in here?_"

He shook his head slightly. "No. Not yet. But someone has to take care of this place… and I think Rufus will like living in this secluded area." He decided with a slight smile on his face.

oOoOo

Tifa, Rufus and Marlene arrived back home by 4 in the afternoon.

"You guys are back and alive." Yuffie welcomed.

"And you're finished with your chores?" Tifa asked, eyeing Yuffie suspiciously.

"Yeah." Yuffie answered before rushing to the living room to watch some TV.

Rufus placed Marlene back to the ground. "Thank you for the ice cream, Rufus." She said gratefully.

"You're always welcome, Marlene," he said before handing her some chocolates. "Here you go. I bought that while you and Tifa were buying ice cream. Why don't you share that with Denzel?" he asked nicely.

Yuffie took a glance at them. She could not believe what she was hearing. "Rufus Shinra being so nice to children? What's going on? Is the world going to end soon?" she asked in disbelief.

Tifa just ignored the ninja's remark.

Rufus watched as Marlene rushed upstairs. "Denzel!" he heard her call out her friend's name.

Tifa clutched Rufus's arm in a firm grip. "I think we need to get you upstairs now. You're flushed and you're sweating." She said softly.

He did not look at her but his smile faded away. He never realized how tired and feverish he was already until she told him about his face being flushed. He just let her lead the way, guiding him upstairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

oOoOo

Yuffie slouched on her seat. "Hmf. Tifa's not yet home… I'm really worried about her." She muttered as she stared at her cheese sandwich.

"Yeah… even though Cloud's telling us not to worry." Barret answered as he continued to jot down the things needed to be bought in the market.

Tseng was also jotting down some stuff needed for the bar. "Anyway, here are the stuff you need to buy at the market for Tifa's bar." He tore off the page from the notebook where he had written the list and handed it to Yuffie.

Barret tore off the page from the notepad where he had jotted down the household essentials. "And here's my list. Mostly stuff for cleaning toilets and the floors." He said.

Yuffie held her breath for a moment and got the lists, reading them quickly before putting them inside her pocket. She got up from her seat. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'll just go straight to the market now." She said.

"Do you need anyone to accompany you, Miss Kisaragi? I can send Rude with you." Tseng suggested.

"Nah." She declined as she got out of the kitchen.

While walking towards the bus station, she wondered whether she would see the guy she met some two days ago. She never admitted to anyone that she has been thinking about him ever since they parted that day and the thought of meeting him again was making her excited.

She stood by the bus stop and even when the bus arrived, she did not get in. She hoped he would appear somehow.

When the bus left, she was the only one remaining in the bus stop. She took a deep breath and looked around. "Silly girl. Of course you won't see him anymore. He must've just passed by or something… and besides, he wouldn't have gone after you if it weren't for that stupid blue materia you're not even sure on what it can do…" she was scolding herself quietly as she pulled out the blue materia from her pocket. She has been secretly keeping it with her all the time ever since he handed it back to her.

Just as she was silently scolding herself and looking at the blue materia, a big shadow loomed over her from behind. Her eyes widened and she stifled a smile as she turned around.

It was him.

He was smiling at her. "You're here again." he said casually.

She blushed slightly. "Er… yeah. I have errands to run again in the market…" she answered quite shyly.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Do you go to the market every two days?" he asked.

"Well… no, not really. I go to the market whenever the people at home tell me to do so." She answered.

"I see. Coz I thought you'd be here yesterday to go to the market again so I went here too." he answered with a slight pout.

She felt her heart skip a beat. "You… were here?" she asked.

"Well to tell you the truth, I was kinda waiting for you," he answered quite sheepishly.

She fell silent as she bowed down her head slightly.

He wondered why she was suddenly quiet. "You okay, Yuffie?" he asked.

She looked up at him again. "Er… yeah, I'm fine!" she said cheerfully.

Zack checked the time on the clock by the traffic light. "The next bus won't be here until after 30 minutes. You want to walk the rest of the way to the market?" he asked.

She smiled slightly. "Sure. No problem with me. I'm used to long walks." She said.

As they began to walk together, they were both silent for a few moments until he decided to speak up to start the conversation. "You don't really look like the kind of person anybody would send to go to the market to do the shopping." He pointed out.

"Oh? And what made you say that?" she asked curiously.

He looked at her face. "Er… I'm not really sure. I guess it's your posture and the way you look." He answered.

She smiled uneasily at him. "You're quite observant." She answered.

"You don't even look like you came from around here." He answered.

"I'm from Wutai." She answered.

"Wutai." He smiled slightly. "Brings back a lot of memories." He answered.

"Why? You've been to my hometown before?" she asked, suddenly interested.

"Yeah. During the war. I was with SOLDIER before." He answered.

Her eyes widened. "What? So you're like, old now?" she asked.

He laughed at what she said, "Hey, I'm not that old! I'm only 26 now." He answered.

She began to do the math in her head. "So you're like, 8 years older than me. You're really old." She joked.

He eyed her and nudged her playfully. "Why are you teasing me?" he asked.

She just giggled. "I'm just kidding. You don't look like your age anyway." He answered.

He chuckled lightly. "I get that a lot from people. My parents say that it's because I'm always smiling." He answered.

She blinked. "Well yeah, you _are_ always smiling, Zack." She answered, realizing that his parents were right. "So, what's there to smile about?" she answered.

He looked up at the skies. "It's a beautiful day." he answered. "And I'm walking with a pretty little girl!" he answered, patting her head playfully.

She shoved his hand away from her head. "Hey, that's not funny! I may be short for my age but I know I'll eventually grow taller before I turn 22!" she told him, feeling insulted.

"Okay, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." He apologized with a sad smile on his face.

She smiled shyly at him before looking away. "It's fine." She answered softly.

He looked straight ahead of them. "So, if you're from Wutai, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Taking a vacation… and helping out a friend manage a home and a business until she returns." She answered glumly.

"Why? Where did she go?" he asked.

"I'm not really sure. She just disappeared one night. I think she ran away because someone dictated to her what to do and she got pissed at him so she's avoiding the issue." She explained.

Zack thought for a while and then stopped walking for a while. Yuffie halted and went back to him. "Something wrong?" she asked curiously.

He was looking towards the direction of the streets leading to Sectors 6 and 7.

"Zack?" she called his attention.

He smiled and looked down at her. "Would you mind accompanying me to the Church in Sector 6? I heard there are nice flowers there. I'd like to pick some." He told her.

She wondered what he was going to do with the flowers but she obliged to his request anyway. "Sure. No one's making me hurry back home anyway." Yuffie answered.

They walked towards Sector 6 and upon arriving at the Church, Yuffie looked around, observing the ruins. "This place is really such a big waste." She said sadly.

"Yuffie?"

Yuffie turned towards the altar and saw Tifa standing there.

Yuffie's mouth dropped open. "Tifa!" she ran towards her friend.

Tifa smiled upon seeing her friend again, but she was surprised when her friend suddenly embraced her. "Oh, Tifa! Where the hell have you been? We've been so worried about you!" she pointed out.

Tifa laughed lightheartedly. "I was just here in this church all along and then I'd go to the clinic to see house Elena is." She said.

Yuffie pushed her away. "You could've left a note or something! You had everyone worried especially Rufus!" she pointed out in annoyance.

Tifa was stunned. Her smile faded away. "R…Rufus?" she asked softly.

"Hell yeah! Now Vincent's the one who's guarding him in the hacienda. Did you know that he threw a fit the night you disappeared and he hasn't been eating or sleeping well ever since you left?" Yuffie ranted.

Tifa just stood there, overwhelmed by the information.

"You ran away because you don't want to do anything regarding Rufus, huh?" Yuffie asked.

Tifa just kept quiet, bowing her head and feeling guilty.

Yuffie sighed heavily and smiled again. "Well at least you're safe. Come back home now, will you?" she asked.

Tifa looked at her with a slight smile on her face. "Thanks, Yuffie." She said before turning back to the altar and looking at the flowers that she had placed over it. "What made you come here anyway?" she asked her friend.

Yuffie blinked. "Oh. I was with a friend. He wanted to go here." He answered.

"Oh. Really? Who's he?" Tifa asked.

Yuffie giggled and whispered to her, "He's really cute and he's tall and muscular and he's kind too!"

Tifa made a face. "Ew. I never knew you liked muscular boys." She ranted.

Yuffie grunted. "Don't insult him, he's nice! Lemme introduce you to him," she turned around to look at where she had left him by the entrance but he wasn't there anymore. "Where is he?" she wondered out loud.

Tifa laughed. "Maybe he's shy." She said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I'd better visit Elena now and help Reno in taking care of her. She's getting better, by the way. From there I'll go straight home." She said, patting Yuffie's shoulders before leaving her there.

Yuffie frowned slightly as she turned towards the altar. "Where did he go?" she wondered curiously, hoping that he did not leave her alone there.

"Hey, Yuffie,"

She turned around and saw Zack just standing close to her with flowers in his grasp. She blinked as she blushed slightly. "Z…Zack! Where have you been? I was supposed to introduce you to my friend!" she said with a worried tone.

He handed her the flowers. "I've been picking the best ones for you." He said.

Her eyes widened and she felt her heart sinking. She smiled lovingly at the flowers. No man has ever given her flowers before. She swallowed hard and looked up at him again. She was really blushing this time. "They're lovely. Thank you, Zack." She said softly.

He just smiled cheerfully at her.

oOoOo

"So the Prez has been transported to the said hacienda already?" Reno asked curiously while spoon-feeding some soup to Elena who was seated on her hospital bed.

Tifa just nodded as she remained seated on the visitors' couch by the window.

Elena swallowed her food. "Who's with him then?" she asked.

"Vincent." Tifa answered simply. She seemed to be spacing out and the two Turks easily noticed it.

"Something wrong?" Elena asked.

"Yeah. You've been too quiet this morning." Reno added.

Tifa forced a lively smile at them. "I'm fine!" she answered.

Then she was silent.

Reno smirked. "I think I know why you're acting like that." he said with a singsong voice before turning back to Elena to wink at her. Elena just blinked.

Reno made a glum face at Elena. "She's feeling guilty!" he pointed out.

Elena was silent for a while before getting his point. "Oh!" she exclaimed brightly. "Because she could have been the one with the Prez right now instead of Mister Valentine!" she added.

Tifa frowned at them. "If the two of you are going to talk behind my back, at least wait until I've left." She muttered.

Reno laughed. "Sorry, Miss Lockhart. But we're just speculating on why you're acting like that." he told her with a silly smile on his face.

Tifa just kept quiet, crossing her arms in frustration.

"Really, Miss Lockhart, why did you refuse to take care of the Prez in that new place?" Elena asked.

"Yeah. He isn't that bad. I'm sure it's a great place to bond with him." Reno added.

Tifa just stared blankly at the floor. She felt as if she had been hit by a brick on the head. "Yeah, why did I do that?" she thought silently. She just shrugged and smiled coolly at them. "I was being impulsive I guess." She answered.

"Well then go back now to your house, pack your bags and tell everyone you're going to take care of Rufus." Elena told her.

Tifa's smile faded. "No." she answered simply.

Reno turned back to Elena with a miserable look on his face. "It's hopeless." He muttered.

Elena just pouted.

oOoOo

Vincent left Rufus in the bedroom that Cloud had prepared for him while he went downstairs to clean the kitchen, dining and living room areas.

Rufus just stayed in his bedroom, lying stiffly on the bed with his eyes wide as if his defenses were up while staring at the cobweb-filled ceiling with a horrid look on his face. "This is culture shock." He said out loud in frustration. He could not believe that he was in such a big house, but despite its size, the upkeep was very bad. It was the first big house he has been into where the surroundings were dirty, dusty, moldy, filled with cobwebs, you name any house-related damage, it's there in that big country house. He never said out loud whatever bad thing he has noticed in the house, but it seemed to him that Vincent was feeling obsessive-compulsive towards the house too because his new Turk told him to just stay in one area while he cleaned the whole house to fit his liking.

Rufus wondered why Cloud never bothered to clean the dirty ceiling. He just thought that if someone was to prepare a clean room for him with clean sheets, clean windows and clean _everything_, the ceiling should have been cleaned too. Besides, he could see a big spider just above him. To Rufus, it felt life-threatening because he imagined that it was thinking of screaming, "It's show time!" and then it will jump down onto his face. He hated disgusting things, and among those things in his list are spiders. Big black ones with thin legs. "Oh well at least it's not a cockroach. It's going to be worse if it's a roach instead of a spider…" he was rambling in his mind as he stared horridly at the spider. But he couldn't take it anymore. "VINCENT!" he yelled out.

He listened as his own voice echoed all over the place. He hasn't explored the whole house yet but he could tell from the outside that it is really big… almost as big as the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim.

In a few moments, Vincent Valentine entered his room wearing loose black trousers, a white loose shirt, a red flowery apron, rubber boots and a red bandanna hiding all of his hair underneath it. His nose and mouth were covered by a flu mask and he was also holding a feather duster. "Yes?" he answered.

Rufus stared at him in surprise. "What the bloody hell are you wearing?" he asked.

"These are my work clothes. I'm doing some major spring cleaning here." Vincent answered as he approached Rufus. "What is it now?" he asked.

"There is a bloody spider up there in that dirty ceiling." Rufus pointed out, eyeing the spider with a disgusted look on his face.

Vincent looked up at the ceiling and just stared blankly at the spider. "It's doing nothing to you." He said.

"Well I feel threatened with that thing! Get rid of it!" Rufus commanded.

"There are far more things worse than that so let it be." Vincent said.

Rufus stared unbelievably at him but then recalled from somewhere that he has been locked up in a coffin for 30 years. "Oh. I'm speaking to the wrong person, aren't I? For sure you're already used to seeing such disgusting big spiders because you're used to old dirty houses such as this one for the reason that you were in the Shinra Mansion for quite a long time." He pointed out with a sarcastic look on his face.

Vincent frowned at him. "Don't suppose that I'm used to dirt and grime and most especially insects!" he told him sternly.

Rufus thought he sounded like a nagging mother. "Oh yeah? Well then what sort of insect are you disgusted with?" he asked.

Vincent's left eyebrow twitched. "Silverfish." He answered.

Silence.

"Just please get rid of the spider." Rufus said, rolling his eyes.

Vincent pulled out his gun. "Alright." He said as he aimed at the spider and shot it.

Rufus cringed upon the sound of the gunshot, but he froze when he realized that the dead spider had fallen upon his chest.

Vincent saw the horrified look on Rufus's face and approached him with caution as he let go of the feather duster. "There, there, I'll remove it, don't worry." He said reassuringly as he picked up the dead spider with his bare hands and carried it with him out of the room. "I'll clean that ceiling later, just relax for now." He told Rufus.

Rufus was left in the room, feeling as if he was in Twilight Zone. "Oh blimey! Why couldn't it be Tifa who's guarding me here?" his mind was screaming as he stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, feeling so sorry for himself.

oOoOo

Tifa finally arrived home and saw Denzel sweeping the floor. "Where's Yuffie? Why are you sweeping the floor?" she asked.

"Because she's not yet home. She went to the market to buy some stuff for cleaning and for your bar. Where have you been these past two days?" he asked with a curious look on his face.

Tifa just swallowed hard and shut the door. "Where's Marlene, is she in school?" she asked.

"Yeah." Denzel answered.

"Who walked her to school?" she asked.

"Mister Rude walked her to school. Mister Tseng's upstairs cleaning the bathroom and Mister Rude is assisting Cloud with the deliveries. Don't worry they'll pick up Marlene later." Denzel answered.

"Barret's out already?" Tifa asked as she walked to the kitchen.

"Yeah. He said he'll be going to Corel to check on some fuel there and refer it to Mister Reeve." He answered.

Tifa checked the fridge and then the cupboards. "Well Yuffie obviously isn't home yet." She muttered before going back to the living room where she left Denzel. She stopped in her tracks when she realized that the 8 year-old boy was staring curiously at her. "Yes, Denzel, is there something wrong?" she asked gently with a slight smile on her face.

"Why do you hate Rufus that much?" he asked.

Tifa's smile faded. "What?" she asked.

"I do think he's a nice man." Denzel said.

Tifa breathed in, not knowing whether she should tell the child or not the truth, but she sensed that he has a mature mind so she approached him and sat down on the sofa near the area that he was sweeping. He stopped doing his chore for a moment to listen to what she has to say: "Rufus is a Shinra." She began.

Denzel just blinked.

"My point is, I promised to hate Shinra and Sephiroth because of what they did. It's… part of my reason that's why I joined AVALANCHE in the first place. They are anti-Shinra, you know?" she told him.

Denzel pouted.

Tifa eyed him curiously, "Don't tell me you changed your mind about Rufus when he gave you chocolates?" she asked.

Denzel smiled. "Well that really proved that he's a nice guy. Marlene is very fond of him now." He said.

She just kept quiet as he went on, "I even thought that AVALANCHE was the enemy because when my parents died, someone told me that the upper plate fell upon Sector 5 because of that rebel group. But…" he shrugged. "…guess where I am right now. I didn't know what to believe at first but I learned that…" he trailed off when Tseng appeared from the stairs carrying a bucket of dirty water and a mop. He was looking at Tifa was a serious look on his face. "You're too quick to pass on judgment to President Rufus, Miss Lockhart. You don't even know the whole story yet between AVALANCHE and Shinra." He told her with a low tone.

Denzel bowed down his head and moved aside. "Excuse me." He said before leaving the living room to give the two some privacy.

Tseng just stood still for a moment before settling the bucket and the mop on the floor and removed his rubber gloves before walking to Tifa. "Perhaps I could say that AVALANCHE has been fully established to start a revolution—to change the way Rufus's father has been doing things by having him killed so that Rufus can become President and change everything there is to be changed in the system for the betterment of the Planet and the citizens' lives." He told her.

She frowned at him and looked at him in a scrutinizing manner that did not even seem to have intimidated him.

He sat down on the couch opposite the sofa where she was seated. "I was there when it all happened. I was one of those Turks who communicated messages with Elfe and the rest of AVALANCHE… messages from Rufus, who was the Vice President back then. He was only 15 back then but he had a lot of positive hopes for the Planet and for Midgar. And do you know what happened?" he asked.

Tifa just stared at him with a curious gaze. Who was Elfe?

Tseng narrowed his eyes at Tifa. "Rufus's father never found out that his own son was plotting his assassination with AVALANCHE, but he found out that the Turks were working against him." He turned his gaze towards the window and smiled reminiscently as he viewed the clear blue skies outside. "Did you know that there were more Turks before? There were others besides me, Reno and Rude… and Elena as well, even though she was just a student at the Shinra Military Academy back then. But they were all terminated by order of Rufus's father." He frowned. "Rufus tried to stop his father by distracting him, but he was unsuccessful." He continued before turning his gaze back to her again. "Now tell me why did you join such a group that has been basically funded by Rufus himself?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

Her heart skipped a beat as her mouth twisted into a scornful pout. Her eyes widened at Tseng; she could not believe what she had just heard.

Just then, Yuffie entered the house carrying grocery bags and a bouquet of yellow flowers. She stared curiously at Tseng and Tifa and smirked. "Having a heart-to-heart conversation?" she teased, noticing the seriousness on their faces.

The two did not even bother to look at her at first until Tifa got up by will and just ran upstairs.

Tseng then turned to Yuffie and looked at her curiously. "Hello, there, Princess." He greeted with a cheery smile.

She just grinned. "What was that all about?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just telling her some stuff about the President and AVALANCHE." He answered nonchalantly. He eyed the flowers. "Those look familiar." He pointed out.

"I went to the Church. Would you believe I found her there?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"And you picked out some flowers for the house?" Tseng asked, thinking that it was unusual for a girl such as Yuffie to pick flowers.

Yuffie blushed slightly while trying to stop herself from smiling dreamily. But Tseng was good in reading people's actions and facial expressions. He smiled calmly at her as he spoke to her in Wutaian something that translates to "A boy gave that to you?"

Her eyes widened at him and she answered in their native tongue translating to "What's it to you?"

Tseng shrugged.

Yuffie just grunted. "I knew it. My dad talked to you and asked you to watch over me, huh? Just because you're Wutaian too!" she pointed out in English.

Tseng smiled simply at her. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said, but in Wutaian.

She snarled and started to cuss in Wutaian as she went to the kitchen with the groceries.

Tseng laughed, pleased with himself. What Yuffie suspected was true.

oOoOo

Vincent Valentine moved Rufus Shinra to the living room for a while so that he could further clean the bedroom. While in the living room, Rufus observed what a good job Vincent had done around and within the area. "He didn't even miss a spot. How meticulous." He thought to himself before getting startled by the sound being made by the old grandfather's clock standing by the doorway leading to the hallway to the stairs. He saw that it was already 4 in the afternoon. He frowned. "How time passes." He wondered. And he realized that he hasn't even eaten lunch yet. That was when he felt his stomach rumbling.

Just then, he heard the engine of the Fenrir coming from outside the house.

In a few minutes, he heard the sound of Cloud's boots approaching the living room area.

And then there was Cloud Strife in the same living room as Rufus Shinra, amazed with what Vincent has done to the place. He then turned to Rufus. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in your room?" Cloud asked as he approached Rufus.

"He's cleaning the ceiling this time." Rufus answered glumly. "I'm hungry." He told Cloud.

"You didn't eat or you skipped your meal again?" Cloud inquired.

"Vincent must've forgotten to feed me." Rufus answered.

Cloud just stared at him.

"Well?" Rufus asked, hinting for him to do something like cook or have some food delivered.

Cloud shook his head. "I can't cook." He answered.

Silence.

Vincent finally arrived in the living room. "There! All done! The house is squeaky clean… oh, hello, Cloud. You dropped by!" he said.

Cloud stared unbelievably at Vincent and his getup. "What are you wearing?" he asked.

"Those are his work clothes. Don't insult them." Rufus muttered to him.

Cloud just raised his eyebrows. "You forgot to feed Rufus," he told Vincent.

Vincent looked at Rufus with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Oh. Pardon me. I'll cook some food now." He said before rushing to the kitchen.

Rufus got up from the couch. "I feel much better in this place, but there's no TV." He told Cloud.

"This is a provincial town. Sometimes there's no electricity here. Things got worse when the reactors were destroyed." Cloud explained as he assisted Rufus in walking.

Rufus, however, pushed him away, insisting on walking on his own. "I'm getting bored here." He told Rufus.

"You can do a lot of things in a farm." Cloud said.

"In my condition?" Rufus asked sarcastically.

"Well from now, you can watch the birds, watch the grass grow, exchange stories with Vincent—I'm sure he has a lot to tell you especially about Lucrecia." Cloud said. He seemed to be smiling teasingly at Rufus when he mentioned the last one because he knew how Vincent's love stories bored Rufus to death the first time he heard them.

Rufus just kept a straight face, but his eyes gave away his emotion: he was annoyed.

"Would you like to have some cookies?" Cloud asked as they stopped walking, wanting to divert Rufus's attention from the matter as he brought out a paper bag and handed it to Rufus.

Rufus stared at it for a moment before finally opening it to see what is inside. "Where did these come from?" he asked.

"Found them in the cupboard in Tifa's kitchen. I guess she baked them." Cloud answered.

Rufus sniffed the cookies from inside the bag before handing it back to Rufus. "When did she bake them?" he asked.

"Maybe a couple of weeks ago?" Cloud guessed.

Rufus picked out a piece and began to inspect it closely.

Cloud frowned at him. "Come on, if there were molds in those cookies when I found them, I would've just thrown them away."

Rufus took a bite and cringed. "Too sweet!" he said before putting the cookie back inside the bag.

Cloud blinked. "Maybe that's why it's just stashed in a cookie jar in her cupboard." He said in wonder.

"And nobody wanted to eat it." Rufus said, swallowing the small bite he tried to chew with his dignity. "Don't tell me you never knew how it tasted?" he demanded from Cloud.

"No. Thanks for being my official taste-tester." Cloud answered with a smug look on his face as he and Rufus began to walk again. Still, to his wonder, he saw Rufus fold the flap of the paper bag and then carried it with him as they continued to tour around the house.

"Vincent is such a good housekeeper." Rufus remarked as he looked around. "I'm sure he can make a very good _mother_." He added as a joke.

Cloud eyed him with a glum look on his face. "If he heard you, he'd hit your head with his metal arm." He explained.

Rufus ignored his remark as they continued to explore the house.

oOoOo

_5 days later…_

Yuffie had a dreamy look on her face as she entered Tifa's room and placed the bouquet of flowers on the desk. Tifa, on the other hand, was just seated by the desk and staring at the photo on the frame before her. "Why don't you put those flowers someplace else?" she asked Yuffie.

"I'm sharing this room with you while I'm here, so I want these flowers to be here." Yuffie answered.

Tifa turned her attention to Yuffie as the ninja jumped onto the bed and grabbed one of the pillows, hugging it tightly while giggling happily. Tifa cringed. "What's up with you?" she asked.

"Oh… Tifa, I think I'm in-love!" Yuffie answered happily.

Silence.

Tifa looked away, feeling disturbed. Yuffie? In-love? It was unbelievable. Still, she was curious upon who won Yuffie's heart. "And who's he?" she asked. Then looked at Yuffie again with a teasing smile on her face. "Or… is it a _she_?" she teased.

Yuffie sat up, glaring at her in annoyance. She felt insulted, obviously. "What? Of course not! It's a man! Like, it's the guy whom I was supposed to introduce to you at the Church some days ago! You know what, ever since then, he's been giving me flowers from that Church!" she said haughtily.

Tifa raised her eyebrows at her. "Oh. What's his name?" she asked.

Yuffie was about to say his name, but then she recalled that Tseng has been assigned by her father to spy on her. "That Turk could just be outside the room listening…" she was thinking to herself quietly. She just smiled calmly at Tifa and said, "It's a secret!" and then plopped down on the bed again.

Tifa frowned, feeling betrayed. "You're so unfair! I thought we're best friends now!" she wailed.

"Yeah, so?" Yuffie asked.

"Best friends don't keep secrets from each other!" Tifa answered stubbornly. She was really intrigued on who the guy is that she would say anything just to make Yuffie spill the secret.

"Well you called me a _lesbian_ earlier so I'm not speaking." Yuffie said airily.

Tifa grunted. "Rrrgh. Come on! I didn't say you're a lesbian! I was just joking around!" she said.

"Jokes are half-meant!" Yuffie answered.

Tifa could tell that the girl was just playing with her mind. "Okay, to be fair, if you don't want to say his name, then just describe him to me." She said, crossing her arms and smiling slyly at her.

"And what do I get in return?" Yuffie asked.

Tifa thought for a while before answering, "I'll describe to you the person who I have a crush on."

Yuffie laughed. "That's no fair, I already know who it is!" she pointed out half-heartedly.

Tifa cringed. "And it's not Cloud." She told her.

Silence.

Yuffie sat up and smiled dreamily at her. "Alright." She said before taking a deep breath and then began to describe Zack. "Like what I said earlier, he's tall… maybe around 5'11" or so… and he's got black spiky hair and his eyes are dark blue. His eyes are so mesmerizing and he's always smiling. He's so sweet and romantic too! Like, you know I met him some two day ago when you made me go to the market, and when I didn't go to the market for some days, it turns out that he was waiting for me by the bus stop just to see me again! Teehee!" she went on and on, making Tifa feel amused and dumbfounded at the same time.

"And those flowers! Oh, Tifa, I know they're ordinary flowers from the church but they're special to me because he picked them out himself and gave the bouquet to me! Oh he's so sweet!" Yuffie said dreamily. She was obviously blushing and she knew it, but she did not even care to hide it from Tifa.

Tifa just smiled weakly at her. "That's… sweet." Was all she could comment.

Silence.

Yuffie regained her composure. "And who's the guy you're crushing on?" she asked.

Tifa's eyes widened at her and she blushed slightly.

Yuffie pouted. "Oh no, don't tell me you tricked me!" she wailed in annoyance.

Tifa chuckled lightly. "Well… no! Okay… uh…" she looked up at the ceiling and began to describe _him_: "He's got blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin…"

Yuffie made a face. "I knew it. It's just Cloud. What else is new?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

Tifa clenched her fists as her gaze darted towards Yuffie. "I told you it's not Cloud!" she pointed out.

"Then what's with the blonde, blue-eyed and fair-skinned description?" Yuffie asked, unconvinced.

"Cloud may have slightly-fair skin, but this guy I like right now has really fair, clear and clean skin. It's like porcelain when you look at it." Tifa told her.

Yuffie thought for a while. "Are you sure that's a guy you're crushing on? How come you say he's got porcelain-like skin tone? Sounds like a woman to me… unless he's an extremely rich guy who faithfully maintains a daily skin-care regimen…" she trailed off. "Damn, I can't think of who it is! Do I know him?" she asked in annoyance.

Tifa just smirked. "What about me? Do I know who your guy is?" she asked.

Yuffie frowned at her. "Nice try. But I don't think you know him." She answered, crossing her arms and looking away.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Fine. Then you won't know who _mine_ is." She said before she got up and went to her closet to pull out her suitcase plus some clothes.

Yuffie wondered what she was doing.

Tifa began to pack her clothes. "You are going to be in charge of my bar and the household while I'm away." She instructed sternly.

Yuffie just stared at her in awe. "Is it Cid?" she asked curiously, ignoring Tifa's instruction.

Tifa groaned. "Can you just forget about it? It's just a minor issue." She told her in annoyance as she continued to pack her things. "And for crying out loud; Cid's way older than me. I wouldn't go for someone older than me, you know? And besides, he's got Shera!" she said, laughing.

Yuffie snickered. "Just giving it a shot! But is it someone I know?" she asked.

Tifa did not answer.

"Is it the guy from the old meatshop next to the one we usually buy our meat from?" Yuffie chimed in.

Tifa made a disgusted face. "Ugh. No! What the bloody hell are you thinking!" she answered in repulsion.

Yuffie just laughed. "Hell yeah! He fits your description, alright? Nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk…"

Tifa faced her for a while. "Well no. The guy from that old meatshop looks like a rapist that's why Barret tells me not to buy meat from him anymore. He stares at women like he's the world's greatest lecher! And well yeah, he has blonde hair, _pale_ and almost transparent skin and blue eyes, but he's so thin and his hair looks like a broom." She described with a disgusted look on her face.

Yuffie cringed. "Gawds. Talk about grossness… I forgot how ugly that man is." She said.

"Why, didn't you see him today?" Tifa asked.

Yuffie grinned. "Well he didn't stare that long and I didn't mind that he was there because there was someone to protect me today from lechers like him!" she said proudly.

Tifa smiled grimly. "Ooh. Right. Your new boyfriend." She said before turning away to continue packing her things.

"Well he's not yet really my boyfriend. I wonder when he's gonna make a move…" Yuffie wondered.

"Careful. And better introduce him to us first so that we can scrutinize him. Who knows, it could be just someone like the guy from the old meatshop." Tifa teased.

Yuffie frowned. "Hell no!" she answered in protest.

oOoOo

Rufus and Vincent just finished having dinner.

Living together with Vincent had a lot of silent moments between the two of them, and sometimes, no one would even bother to start a conversation.

But that evening, Rufus thought he would go crazy if nobody spoke up, so he took the initiative to speak, "Would you like to go see what's outside?" he asked.

Vincent looked at him curiously. "There's nothing out here but country roads, barren land, mountains, and the night sky with the moon and stars." He answered simply.

Rufus was quiet for a moment before saying, "The stars. I'd like to see them." He really wanted to see the city lights of Midgar, though, because the house is situated on a hill, and during the day, whenever he would peek from his bedroom window, he could see remnants of Midgar from where he is and he would reminisce the times when everything in Midgar was still fine. He would also map out a plan in his head regarding the restoration of the big city and would wonder when he could consult with Reeve about it. "… and the city lights." He added honestly.

"What city lights?" Vincent asked rather coldly.

Rufus forgot that there were no city lights anymore for 2 years already. He just kept quiet about it.

Vincent got up from his seat. "Alright, let's go see the stars then." He said. "Right after we do the dishes and clean up." He added.

Rufus got up on his own and began to help Vincent in putting away the dishes to the kitchen. He had noticed the improvement in his own health ever since his second day in that house. "Maybe this is really a good idea instead of staying in the city or the hospital." He wondered quietly as he followed Vincent to the kitchen.

Vincent, on the other hand, aside from noticing the improvement in Rufus's condition, also realized how helpful Rufus has become and that he had stopped acting like a spoiled rich kid. He would tell Cloud about his observations whenever he could by sending him a text message or calling him (because finally he has a mobile phone).

While washing the dishes, Vincent could not help but observe Rufus in a non-discreet manner. Rufus, on the other hand, was oblivious to his companion's constant staring.

Vincent smiled simply. "It's good to see that you're not itching when your skin comes to contact with dishwashing soap." He pointed out, meaning for it to sound like a joke.

Rufus frowned at the remark. "What do you think of me, a useless person?" he asked.

Vincent's smile faded. "No, it was a joke." He pointed out stiffly.

Rufus just kept quiet for a moment before apologizing and explaining, "Pardon my behavior. I just hate it when people think they know me just because of my family name and my socio-economic status."

Vincent nodded, lowering his gaze to the soap suds on his right hand. "I know what you mean." He answered before proceeding to scrub. "And I'm surprised you know how to wash dishes?" he asked.

"I've had Home Economics class ever since third grade up to high school senior year. Somehow I learned a lot of things there." Rufus answered nonchalantly.

Vincent was impressed. "They teach that to rich kids who went to your school?" he asked in awe.

"You'll be surprised how the others turned out." Rufus answered.

Their conversation went on even after they have washed the dishes when they got out of the house, sat on the steps of the front porch and began to stargaze.

"It's pretty dark around here." Rufus muttered.

He was right. There was almost no electricity on some parts of Kalm, including the area where the hacienda is. Inside the house, they had to walk and do things in the dark. Thanks to the Mako exposure they had sometime in their past, they are able to see in the darkness so they were saving too much on fuel for gas lamps and batteries for emergency lamps, flashlights, and also matches for candles.

Vincent turned to Rufus with a curious look on his face. "You look like a ghost. Why do you like to wear white so much?" he asked curiously.

"I'd like to ask you the same question in lieu with my chosen color for clothes—why do you like to wear red?" Rufus answered.

"You first." Vincent told him.

Rufus was quiet for a moment before explaining, "It's complicated."

Vincent frowned slightly. "That's your explanation?" he asked.

"It's my favorite color, alright?" Rufus answered impatiently. Why must Vincent ask too many questions? He thought it was very unusual because he had known Vincent to be such a quiet man with too many secrets. But now Vincent has been open with him on several topics that would concern any of them.

"Red happens to be my favorite color." Vincent answered.

They were silent for a few moments before Rufus took the initiative to speak up. "I really appreciate your company here; you and Cloud…even though he could only drop by in the afternoons."

Vincent just stared straight ahead. He seems to be reflecting on something unknown to Rufus. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"Huh?" Rufus looked at him.

Vincent just stared into nothingness. "You were never the type to be grateful for other people's kindness towards you." He pointed out.

Rufus kept a straight face before turning away. "I just thought I'd express my gratitude to people from now on before it's too late." He answered simply.

"You're not dying, are you?" Vincent asked, turning to him with a curious stare.

Rufus smiled and shook his head. "I'm not. But you'll never know how fate plays with our lives. One moment you're alive, the next minute you're dead. And then everything will be too late." He answered.

Vincent wondered if he just imagined seeing the sadness in Rufus's eyes.

Rufus looked up at the skies. "Years ago, when I was still the Vice President, I made a contract with AVALANCHE, funding them, helping them… so that they could assassinate my father." He began.

Vincent's eyes widened upon hearing that.

Rufus went on with a melancholic tone, "Of course, no one knew but the Turks, Elfe and I. Elfe was the former AVALANCHE leader before Barret. I'd correspond with her and the rest of the members of AVALANCHE through the Turks. But all things must come to an end—my old man found out about the rebellion against him and everything got traced back to the Turks. Would you imagine, eight of them were terminated by order of my old man?"

Vincent just stared at Rufus in disbelief.

"And Tseng had to kill his mentor, then-leader of the Turks, Veld. Maybe it was against his will, because I could tell that Tseng is still bothered by what he did." Rufus continued before turning his gaze to Vincent. "When those Turks died, I couldn't help but blame myself for such foolishness. I could have saved them but I failed." He pointed out.

Vincent could clearly see the disappointment in Rufus's face. It was something that he has never seen before in such a poker-faced person such as him. He felt sorry for Rufus, but he could not express it. He just stared.

Rufus looked away. "I never even got the chance to thank those Turks for helping me out… even if it caused them their lives." He muttered.

Vincent just sat still, bowing down his head in sympathy.

"Vincent," Rufus began.

Vincent looked at him.

"Have you ever tried asking for forgiveness from someone?" Rufus asked.

Vincent stared at him for a moment before answering, "You're not the first one to ask me that."

"Oh?" Rufus asked, looking at him.

"Cloud was the first one who asked something like that to me. He said that it's possible to ask for forgiveness and be forgiven." Vincent told him.

Rufus just stared in awe at him. He smiled and looked away. "Heh heh. I should talk to Cloud then." He said with a smug look on his face.

Just then, they saw someone arriving. The person kept on bumping against things along the way because she could not see well.

It was Tifa Lockhart.

Rufus wondered what she was doing there carrying a suitcase.

Vincent got up. "I'd better go inside and get a flashlight for her." He muttered before going inside the house.

Rufus sat still, looking at Tifa with a look of awe on his face. He could hear her muttering words of annoyance whenever she would step on something strange or bump against a fence or a rock. When he stood up from the porch step, she stopped walking. She seemed to eye him curiously. Then he saw her smile. "I thought you were a ghost." He heard her say.

He could not help but smile at her. As she walked towards him, he walked to meet her.

Tifa stopped in her tracks. "Oh don't bother coming for me," she told him with a concerned tone because she was worried that he could trip and fall. "It's dark!" she told him.

"It's alright. I can see." He told her as he finally arrived by her side. "I'll guide you." He decided.

Tifa blushed and her eyes widened when she felt his hand touching her arm. "…you seem better now." She said. "Your… condition, I mean." She stammered.

"I guess it's the fresh country air." He answered, rolling his eyes as he led the way to the house.

"But how come there are no lights?" she asked.

"Since there's no Shinra Electric Power Company anymore, there's no way the existing power in Midgar could reach as far as its outskirts… just like here in Kalm." He explained.

"Hmm… and I thought you're rebuilding Shinra?" she asked, smiling slyly.

"It might take a long time." He answered simply.

He felt her touch his hand that was holding her arm. It made him look at her. He saw her smiling reassuringly at him. "It won't. Because I'm here. I.. Cloud, Vincent and I will be here to support you." He heard her say.

Rufus stopped walking, so did she.

She settled her suitcase on the ground as they stared at each other for a moment. Tifa could not see well; she could only make out his eyes, some of the color of his hair and his body's silhouette, but she could not make out the look on his face. Rufus, on the other hand, could see her clearly. He stared at her face in awe and in that moment, he could not help but think to himself in silence, "Why didn't I realize before how lovely she really is? Oh wait, you haven't been this closer to her before, you idiot." He was scolding himself as he continued to stare at her.

"Something wrong, Rufus?" she asked, interrupting his trance. Her eyes were large and staring curiously at him.

He breathed in. "Why are you suddenly here?" he asked.

She smiled weakly. "Why? Don't you want me here?" she asked, wondering if she picked out the right words.

"Cloud forced you to come here, didn't he?" Rufus demanded.

Tifa smiled calmly at him. "No. This time, he didn't." she answered.

Rufus calmed down.

She moved closer to him. "It was my choice this time." She told him softly.

Rufus felt his heart beating faster as she moved closer and closer to him. "What is she going to do?" his mind was panicking.

Her hand touched his arm as she moved further closer to him and she was looking at his face.

Rufus swallowed hard, wondering if she was going to kiss him. Then he felt as if the world stopped for a moment when he felt her other hand on his forehead.

Silence.

"You feel warm. I think you're coming up with something." She said before moving away and grabbing his arm. "You have to go inside and rest now." She said.

Vincent arrived with a flashlight and an emergency lamp, lighting up the way for the two. "You seem to be in a hurry." He pointed out to Tifa.

"Rufus has a fever. I have to get him to bed." She answered with a panicky tone. "Please take my suitcase inside, Vincent. I have to make sure Rufus is alright." She instructed.

"You have to stay with him. There are only two bedrooms." Vincent told her.

Tifa and Rufus stopped in their tracks. "This is a big house, how come there are only two bedrooms?" the latter asked.

"Two beds, that is. One in my room, one in yours. There are 5 bedrooms in this house but there are only 2 beds available. Yours is the biggest one." Vincent pointed out.

Tifa grunted. "I'll think about that later. We need to get you inside, Rufus." She said before proceeding inside the house after taking a flashlight from Vincent.

Vincent wondered why Rufus was suddenly feverish but just shrugged it off and picked up Tifa's suitcase and decided to take it into Rufus's bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

oOoOo

"Tifa, I think he's not ill. It's just his body heat." Vincent told Tifa persistently for the 9th time already while observing Rufus lying down on the bed with a thermometer in his mouth and a cold compress on his forehead. He approached the bed and snatched off the cold compress from Rufus Shinra's forehead.

Tifa's mouth dropped open in protest as she rushed to Vincent and grabbed the small folded cold damp towel from him. "Vincent, how could you? I'm the one taking care of Rufus here!" she snapped in annoyance as she returned the towel on Rufus's forehead.

Rufus, on the other hand, was looking disturbed. He just wanted the thermometer out of his mouth but he could not move because Tifa has placed a lot of pillows on both his sides and she even placed a brown teddy bear by his right shoulder; he also knows that if he tried to move, she would get angry.

Vincent crossed his arms. "Just don't make a mistake in giving him medication for now because he doesn't really have fever." He told her.

"Well yes, I won't give him fever medication. I don't want him to become drug-dependent." She answered as she finally pulled out the thermometer from his mouth and checked his temperature. "Oh. It's gone!" she said happily before setting the thermometer aside and removed the cold compress from Rufus's head.

"Anyway, have you had dinner yet?" Vincent asked Tifa.

"I still feel quite full actually. I ate before I left the house this afternoon." She answered before looking around at the room. "Wow. Cloud's right. It's a big house. And this room is big too." she remarked, impressed. "I can't believe he had that much money to buy this place." She added before staring at the bed and frowned, then turned her attention to the wooden floor. "I guess I'll just sleep on the floor. Are there extra mattresses?" she asked.

"None." Vincent answered.

"A comforter and a blanket then?" she asked.

"We're basically poor." Vincent explained.

Tifa fell silent.

"I'll get an extra blanket so that you and Rufus won't have to share." Vincent told her before leaving the room.

Tifa suddenly felt as if the world was on her shoulder. She was having a dilemma whether to share a bed with Rufus or not. Just the thought of sharing a bed with Rufus gave her butterflies in her stomach. "Maybe I'll just sleep on the floor." She told Rufus.

"Do you hate cockroaches and silverfish?" Rufus asked mindlessly.

Tifa looked at him curiously. "Yeah. I do." She answered, shuddering in disgust.

"Then don't sleep on the floor. The other night I saw a bunch of them on the floor and I couldn't even go to the bathroom." Rufus said.

Tifa cringed, feeling disgusted. She immediately jumped onto the bed. "You mean there are roaches around here?" she asked in shock.

Rufus looked at her unbelievably. "You're afraid of cockroaches?" he asked.

Tifa felt embarrassed to say so but she knew she had to be honest with him. "Y…yeah! They're disgusting!" she told him.

"You lived in the slums and you're not used to roaches. I'm amused." He said.

"Well I didn't basically grow up in the slums!" Tifa answered haughtily as she moved closer to Rufus.

Rufus sat up in annoyance. "Damn it. If you're going to climb up on my bed you should remove your shoes first!" he protested.

Tifa blinked. "Oh. Sorry." She said before untying her shoes and removed them, placing them on the floor. "I thought Vincent cleaned this place well?" she asked.

"Well he hasn't fumigated yet." He told her.

"Why not?" she asked.

"I don't know about him but I'd like to call the pest control already to get rid of those damn insects." He muttered.

Vincent arrived back in the room carrying an extra blanket. "It has holes but this is the only one I can find in the linen closet." He answered.

"This house has a linen closet?" Tifa asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I think this blanket belongs to the former occupants of this house. I found it there." Vincent answered.

Tifa eyed the blanket suspiciously. "Uh… no, I don't think I'd like to use that." she said.

"Why not? It's clean." He answered and then sniffed it. He cringed.

"I don't think it's _that_ clean. Judging from the look on your face, it must smell like mothballs." Rufus pointed out to him with a smug look on his face.

"Well you're right." Vincent answered before setting the blanket aside. "I'm sorry, Tifa, I guess you have to share with Rufus." He said.

Tifa smiled. "I got a better idea, why don't you just sleep with him tonight and I'll occupy your room instead?" she asked.

Silence.

"Earlier you were too possessive with the idea of taking care of Rufus by yourself and now you want me to exchange rooms with you so that you won't have to sleep with him. I can't believe you!" Vincent pointed out, crossing his arms.

Tifa frowned. "Well it will definitely be wrong for me to sleep beside him! I'm a girl!" she retorted.

"Come on, as if Rufus will do something to you? He's not that kind of man, I can assure you that." Vincent told her.

Rufus just sat still, looking at Vincent with a poker-faced look on his face.

Tifa breathed in. "Fine." She said before looking at Rufus with an uncomfortable look on her face. "Maybe it's time for me to learn how to fully trust Rufus if I really want to help him rebuild Shinra. He needs a lot of help from me… and of course, from Vincent and Cloud too." she decided silently.

With that, Vincent exited. "Well goodnight, kids." He said in a serious manner, although he meant it as a pun. He shut the door.

"Isn't it early for bedtime?" Tifa asked.

"It's 10:00 in the evening. Vincent makes me sleep early." Rufus said.

She breathed in and looked up at the ceiling. "Scary." She muttered.

"You'll get used to it." He answered before blowing off the flame of the candle on the bedside table. "Goodnight." He said before lying down again.

She stared into the darkness. "It's too dark in here." She said softly.

"I know." He answered.

"Don't tell me you're sleepy already?" she asked.

"To be honest with you, I don't feel sleepy unless it's past 12 midnight already." He said.

She smiled. "Me too." she said. "I usually don't turn in until 2 in the morning." She explained.

"And what time do you usually get up?" he asked.

"6." She answered.

"You only get 4 hours of sleep?" he asked in disbelief.

"I have to prepare breakfast for the children and do some chores. But I get some naps during the day anyway." She explained.

He was silent.

"What about you? How many hours of sleep do you get?" she asked.

He thought for a moment. "Before the Diamond Weapon explosion and before I got sick with Geostigma, I'd go to bed by 1 in the morning and wake up at 7. So that's around 6 hours." He answered. Then he closed his eyes. "But when I was confined in the hospital and at the Healin Lodge, I still didn't get to sleep that much because the nurses and the doctors would eventually wake me up for my medication." He explained.

She leaned back against the headboard and sighed heavily. "Geostigma…" she murmured.

He wondered what made her react that way.

"Was it really painful?" she asked with a bitter look on her face.

He thought for a moment, wondering whether he should tell her about how having Geostigma really felt for him. He is completely aware of the impression he has on people—that he never bleeds or cries. As for Tifa's case, she wanted to know whether he felt pain or not, because if he did, then she could finally reassure herself that Rufus is just like her and everyone else: human. Imperfect. Maybe then he could stoop down to their level.

He opened his eyes and peered into the darkness of the ceiling above them. "Yes. It was very painful, Tifa." He said softly.

She was surprised by his answer that her eyes widened as she turned her gaze to where she guessed Rufus's face was. She wished she could make out how his facial expression was at that moment, but all she could see was his silhouette and part of his eyes.

Rufus breathed in and raised his right hand a bit so he could see it. "That's why I'm thankful for Aerith… for healing me too." he said softly.

She seemed to have known where his right hand was and she reached for it and held it gently, squeezing it reassuringly. "You have been forgiven, Rufus." She said before lying down beside him.

He turned to her with a solemn look on his face. He could see her smiling tenderly at him. He then turned to the teddy bear. "Why did you bring this with you?" he asked, pulling his hand away from hers and grabbing the teddy bear. He handed it to her. "It's to keep you company, according to Marlene. She told me to bring it to you." She explained with a sweet smile on her face.

He smiled, remembering Marlene. "Such a sweet child." He pondered out loud before putting it over their heads, making it lean against the headboard. "How is she?" he asked mindlessly.

Tifa felt pleased with his concern on Marlene. "She misses you." She answered. "Barret went off to Corel some 3 days ago so she doesn't have a father figure at home for now. I would've taken her with me here but she has to go to school." She explained.

"Who takes her to school?" he asked.

"Tseng." She answered.

"And Denzel? How is he?" he inquired.

"He's doing alright. He helps out with the chores. Elena tutors him sometimes since he can't go to school yet." She explained.

"So Elena is well now?" he asked.

"Yes. She recuperated quite faster than expected. All she needed was proper treatment and medication at the clinic." She said brightly.

Rufus remembered something. "The reward I'm supposed to be getting for destroying the gang that attacked us some days ago… did Cloud get it already?"

Tifa nodded. "Yes. He set it aside first, reserving it for the next semester. It's only then that he could finally enroll Denzel to school." She answered.

Rufus took a deep breath and smiled, pleased with the plans. "That's good to hear." He answered.

The two spent the rest of the night talking about various things until they both drifted off to sleep by 1 in the morning.

oOoOo

The next morning, Cloud was up earlier than usual, around 6 in the morning. After getting dressed, he went to the kitchen to start looking for food to eat.

"Where does Tifa keep the cheese?" Cloud muttered.

"_It's in the refrigerator, Cloud._"

He smiled upon hearing her voice. "You're awake?" he asked.

"_I never sleep. I watch over you."_ She answered sweetly.

He went over to the refrigerator. "You don't sleep anymore?" he asked.

"_Sometimes I pretend to sleep beside you._"

He blinked, wondering what that meant. He opened the refrigerator door and began to look for the cheese. When he found it, he brought it out and smelled it. "Still smells like cheese." He said before getting a plate and then sliced some 5 pieces

She giggled. "_What do you mean it still smells like cheese?_" she inquired.

"Sometimes, Tifa tends to keep things in the fridge for a long time and she doesn't realize that it already smells until I say so." He explained.

"_Maybe she's just too busy to notice_."

"Come on, Aerith, who could bypass the smell of rotten moldy cheese?" he retorted in disgust.

She just laughed at his reaction.

"Aerith?"

Cloud froze when he heard Yuffie's voice from behind him. When he turned around to look at her, he had a serious look on his face as he eyed her carefully. "You're up early." He remarked.

Yuffie was silent for a few moments, eyeing him suspiciously. "Yeah." She answered with a low tone before proceeding to the refrigerator to get the pitcher of orange juice. "You too." she said.

Cloud just sat down and began to eat. "The early bird gets the worm." He answered.

Yuffie poured herself a glass of orange juice and quickly drank it. With that, she headed for the back door. "Bye." She said.

"Where are you going this early?" he asked.

She stopped in her tracks. "…taking a walk." She answered.

"Shouldn't you be taking Tseng with you, _Princess_?" he asked.

She cringed before turning to face him again. "Aha! So you know the transaction my old man had with that Turk!" she said in exasperation.

"Well yeah. I was the one your father talked to first before I let him talk to Tseng." He answered nonchalantly before taking another bite of cheese.

Yuffie clenched her fists. "I don't need Tseng or you or my old man to guard me." She said before leaving.

"_She'll be alright, Cloud. She's in good hands._"

He looked up at the ceiling. "How can you say that? You know how impulsive she could get!" he answered.

"_Someone else is watching over her."_

He frowned slightly. "Does she have a dead relative?" he asked.

Before she could answer, he heard footsteps arriving from upstairs. He kept quiet and continued to eat. He could not risk getting caught again as if he's talking to himself or to an imaginary friend.

Reno arrived wearing only his pants. He was yawning as he greeted Cloud, "'morning, Strife."

Cloud stared at him with a gloomy look on his face.

Reno went to him and grabbed one of his cheese slices. "Thanks, dude." He said before gobbling it up.

Cloud eyed his remaining cheese slices on the plate before getting up. "I'm off to work. Where's the list?" he asked. He knows that Reno is the one in charge of helping him for that day.

"What list? You only have one delivery today. But it's in Wutai. Want me to accompany you?" Reno asked.

"No, I can manage." Cloud muttered before leaving.

oOoOo

Yuffie made her way through the busy streets of Midgar. "Gee. It's still early but everyone seems to be up and about." She wondered to herself when she saw from the clock by the traffic light that it was only 6:30 in the morning. When she arrived at the bus station, she was surprised that Zack was already there.

He smiled at her. "Hey," he greeted.

She smiled sweetly at him. "Hey," she greeted back.

And they walked together to a restaurant where they could have breakfast.

oOoOo

It was 8 in the morning when Tifa opened her eyes and when she expected to see Rufus still sleeping beside her, she was surprised to see that he was not there anymore. She instantly got up, feeling alarmed. "Where is he?" she thought before she jumped out of bed and put on her shoes. She ran out of the bedroom, "Vincent!" she called out.

She reached the dining area and was surprised to see Vincent and Rufus starting to eat breakfast. She froze and stared at Rufus with a dumbfounded look on her face.

"Good morning, Tifa. Care for some toast?" Vincent asked.

She breathed in and swallowed hard before taking her seat beside Rufus.

"You look shaken. Night terrors?" Rufus asked her before taking a sip of tea.

She shook her head as she forced a smile. She grabbed some toasted bread from the serving plate and placed it on her own plate. "No. I'm fine." She answered, not really wanting to admit that she felt worried when she realized that she was alone when she woke up. "Rufus, do me a favor. Next time, before you get out of bed, wake me up first." She told him firmly but gently.

"Whatever is that for, Tifa?" Rufus asked with a slight frown on his face.

She kept a straight face as she poured herself a cup of tea. "I don't want you roaming around the house without me. Who knows, you could fall down on the floor and no one's around to help you!" she said.

"That is ridiculous. I feel better now. My legs aren't as shaky as they were back in Midgar." He pointed out.

"But still…" she began.

Vincent was spreading some strawberry jam on his toasted bread. "Some scrambled eggs, you two?" he asked, meaning to interrupt their little argument.

Rufus mindlessly grabbed the plate of scrambled eggs and passed it on to Vincent while speaking, "You are beginning to sound like a mother."

Tifa was taken aback. Surely she did not want to sound like a mother to him, but at that moment, she had no other choice. "I'm just concerned about your health and safety, Rufus." She said softly.

Vincent breathed in. "I think it would be best if you take Rufus out for a walk." He told Tifa.

"Take me out for a walk? What am I a dog?" Rufus exclaimed.

Tifa ignored him and agreed to Vincent's idea. "Sure. He needs the sunshine." She answered.

Rufus just kept quiet and continued to eat.

After breakfast, when it was time to do the dishes, Tifa forbade Rufus to step into the kitchen to help her and Vincent with the chore. Instead, she made him go to the living room and told him to wait for her there.

"You are babying him too much." Vincent told Tifa while washing the dishes.

"I am not. I'm just worried about his health. He isn't that well yet and I don't want anything bad happening to him." She answered with a concerned tone.

He smiled lightly. "I'm surprised at your change of heart." He said.

She smiled slightly. "People deserve second chances." She said.

He just kept quiet.

"What about you? What made you decide to take care of him?" she asked.

Vincent thought for a while and then shrugged. "Like what you said, people deserve second chances." He answered. "Tell you what, leave all the household chores to me and you attend to Rufus now." He said.

Tifa nodded. "Alright." She said as she began to rinse her hands, wiped them dry on a dishcloth and then rushed to the living room.

oOoOo

Cloud arrived in Wutai by 5 in the afternoon. He had to ride a ship across continents just to reach that country. Upon arriving, it was only then that he read the address and the recipient of the package.

"_It's for Lord Godo, Yuffie's dad._"

He nodded. "Yeah." He said softly before making his way to the palace where the Kisaragi Family lives.

"_So what's inside?"_

Cloud shrugged. "Not really sure. It's a medium-sized box." He answered.

For some reason, the guards recognized him and immediately let him inside to the Pagoda area where Lord Godo was spending the afternoon drinking green tea and watching the sunset.

"Good afternoon, Lord Godo." Cloud greeted with a serious tone.

Lord Godo turned to him curiously. "Oh. Mister Strife. How nice of you to drop by," he said. Cloud noticed that he seemed to be looking over his shoulder as if expecting another person to be with him. "And where is my daughter?" he asked.

Cloud brought out the package. "This is all I have for now. But don't worry, she's in good hands. Tseng is doing his job." He explained before handing the package to the old man.

Lord Godo took the package and inspected it carefully before opening it in front of Cloud. Inside were a letter and a brooch in the shape of a red rose. He got the letter and read it slowly, "_Dad. Sorry if I'm taking too long to return. But this brooch is for the anniversary of mom's death. I know she lost hers during the war. Could you offer this to her for me? Thanks. Love, Yuffie._"

He smiled bitterly. "That little girl of mine." He stifled a sob as he put the letter aside and showed Cloud the brooch. "Today is my wife's death anniversary." He explained.

Cloud looked at the brooch carefully.

"Sit down and have some tea with me. I'm sure you had a long journey from Midgar to here. Why don't you spend the night here instead too and I'll arrange for a ship to leave early the next day to Midgar instead? Tell me all the escapades my daughter has had." Lord Godo said with an amused look on his face, trying to look happy.

Cloud took a quick glance at the orangey skies. "_Accept his offer. You're tired. You need rest."_ He heard her say. With that he obliged to Lord Godo's offer and sat down. It was also then that he remembered that it on that day, but several years back, Shinra attacked Wutai and it erupted into a war. "Today is your wife's death anniversary?" Cloud asked curiously.

Lord Godo nodded, smiling sadly. "Yuffie was young back then. Nearing her teens. Her mother died in the war… killed by a SOLDIER." He explained.

Cloud lowered his gaze to his teacup. "Sephiroth?" he asked.

"No. Not Sephiroth. Another one. Also a First Class SOLDIER like Sephiroth." Lord Godo answered.

Cloud was trying to remember who it was but he could not recall the full details because he was in the frontline during the shootings. He could recall, however, that one of his higher-ups, was panicking upon return to barracks, looking so regretful because he had killed a mother out of orders from Sephiroth.

oOoOo

Yuffie basically spent the whole day with Zack. Although they just stayed in the Church telling stories about each other's lives, Yuffie was never bored. She just loved having him around her all the time.

She mentioned to him about her observation on Cloud's behavior. "I think he really misses Aerith deep down inside. He talks to himself all the time like he's talking to someone… and this morning, I caught him saying her name like he's speaking to her!"

Zack did not comment on the matter, he just listened as she continued to share to him her thoughts on Cloud.

When it was already 5:30 in the afternoon, Zack decided to walk her back home, but when they arrived in Tifa's house in Edge, he just looked at the house and said that he has to leave already.

She pouted. "Don't you want to join us for dinner? I'm sure Tseng cooked something nice!" she said.

Zack's eyes widened a bit upon hearing the name. He turned to Yuffie with a smile on her face. "I'm afraid I can't join you for dinner. Maybe some other time." He said.

She bowed down her head.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

She looked up at him with a troubled look on her face. "Cloud's not back home yet. I wonder if he was able to deliver the gift to my dad." She stated with a shaky tone.

He blinked. "Does he know that it came from you?" he asked.

"Nah. I just requested Reno and Tseng to add the delivery to the list and I told them to make sure it is delivered today so that dad won't be lonely." She said softly.

Zack patted her shoulders gently. "I'm sure Cloud was able to give it to your father." He said.

"Well yeah. I mean, it's my mom's death anniversary today…" she said with a sad smile on her face.

His smile faded when he heard that and Yuffie noticed it. "Are you alright, Zack?" she asked.

She was surprised when he just took her in his arms and embraced her tightly. He had a troubled look on his face as he hugged her. Yuffie, on the other hand, was blushing severely.

Zack smiled bitterly. "I'm sorry about your mom, Yuffie." He said softly.

She felt her heart sink when she heard that. She smiled quietly and returned his embrace.

He took a deep breath and smiled gently as he stroked her hair. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.

She nodded against his chest. "Sure." She said.

He kissed her head; he closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in her scent. "Good night." He said.

As he left her standing by the front door of Tifa's house, she just stared at him with a stunned look on her face. Her cheeks were still flushed as she watched him disappear down the street. She had never felt so happy that way before.

Her moment, however, was interrupted when the front door opened and there was Tseng. "Well hello, Princess. Where have you been?" he asked.

He expected her to act crabby with his inquiry, but instead, she giggled and pushed him aside so that she could enter the house. "Just walking around." She said happily before rushing upstairs.

Tseng, however, was suspicious. He just stood in his spot, eyeing Yuffie as she ran upstairs.

Elena arrived from the kitchen. "Everything alright, sir?" she asked.

Tseng took a deep breath. He had a disturbed look on his face. "Did you see that, Reno?" he asked.

Reno was in the living room at first but he went to Tseng. "Hell yeah." He answered.

Elena wondered what they were talking about. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Reno scratched his head. "That girl was talking to herself outside." He explained.

"What girl?" Elena asked.

"Yuffie." Tseng answered.

Elena was dumbfounded. "Why would she even be talking to herself?" she asked curiously.

"Not only that; it's like she's hugging someone too." Reno said.

She gasped. "Oh my gawd! Why would she even do that?" she exclaimed.

"I don't know… PMS-ing?" he answered, shrugging.

"Oh come on! Girls don't go nuts when they have PMS!" she pointed out.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

oOoOo

_2 months later…_

It was a Saturday morning and Rufus was seated on the front porch. He was wearing layers of jackets because it was very cold outside. He knows Tifa would get mad at him if she found out that he liked sitting outside in the morning and enjoying the cold weather; well it happened already the other day, but he kept cool and even invited her to join him. And she did, even though she did not have any jacket with her. He offered her one of his jackets but she refused.

Now she has the flue and she had to rest.

But it seemed alright for her because she thought that it was a memorable morning, watching the sunrise with Rufus. She never blamed Rufus that she is presently sick.

Rufus, on the other hand, has fully recovered, but he still does not have the go-signal from Cloud on when he could go back to Midgar.

Since Tifa is sick, Rufus felt as if he had to take the responsibility of taking care of her because she took care of him when he was recovering.

On that morning, Tifa was still sound asleep and Vincent was preparing breakfast. Rufus had especially requested him to cook hot soup for Tifa, and while waiting for breakfast and for her to wake up, he just stayed outside, enjoying the cold weather.

For some reason, he sensed that she was already rousing from slumber, so he got up and went back inside to attend to her in their room. In those two months that they had been living in that house, they had become accustomed to sharing a room and a bed. He was always the one to wake up way before she does, and whenever he rouses from sleep, he would find her head resting on his chest and her arm draped over him as if he were a pillow. He never informed anyone else about this unconscious behavior of hers whenever she is asleep, except for his two new best friends: Cloud and Vincent. Both had different reactions. The former surprisingly teased him, which is an unusual reaction from someone so usually quiet and passive, while the latter just smiled quietly at him and asked him how it feels like to wake up in the morning with a beautiful young woman embracing him. Rufus never answered the question but he reflected on it for quite some time.

Upon entering their room, Rufus saw that Tifa was seated on the bed looking drowsy. She looked at him and smiled weakly. "Hello, Rufus." She said softly. Her voice sounded raspy.

He approached her and gently laid her back on the bed. "You shouldn't be up." He said sternly.

She gazed wearily at him. "I got worried. I opened my eyes and you weren't there beside me. I wanted to find you but I'm too weak…" she said softly in a voice almost inaudible for him to hear.

He thought she was delirious because of the fever so he did not say anything to her.

"Where did you go?" she asked.

"I was outside." He answered as he tucked her in again and wondered if the room's heater is working because he felt could feel the coldness emanating from her. Her face was also ghastly pale and her eyes were watery. He touched her forehead frowned. "You're too cold." He said.

"I am?" she asked wearily.

He nodded. "You stay here, don't move. I'll ask Vincent if he has flu medication." He said before leaving the room.

Tifa closed her eyes.

Rufus arrived at the kitchen and saw Vincent preparing the soup. "Do we have any medications here for flu?" he asked.

Vincent shook his head. "I'm afraid we don't have medicine here." He answered.

Rufus frowned and got his mobile phone, deciding to call Cloud. Unfortunately, no one was answering. "How come he never answers?" he ranted before returning it inside his pocket. "I'll run out to buy some medicines for Tifa." He said.

"Where?" Vincent asked.

Rufus thought for a while. "I can't leave her alone." He realized. He was beginning to have a compulsion that he is the only one should be able to take care of her and not anybody else. He got his mobile phone again and began to call for Tseng, but then he heard a computer-operated voice speaking, "_The call cannot be completed. You can only receive incoming calls and text messages for now. Please call the customer service hotline. Thank you."_

It was an indication that his cellphone bills weren't paid and were overdue for more than a month already. "Damn. Do you have a mobile phone?" he asked Vincent.

"I'm on prepaid. I have no credits. There's no reloading station here in Kalm." Vincent answered.

Rufus felt gloomy. "I have to go to Midgar to buy medicines then." He said before leaving the kitchen to go back to Tifa. When he saw her asleep, his facial expression softened and he felt some kind of sympathy that he has not felt before towards another person. He carefully approached the bed and as soon as he got beside her, he stooped down and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. He smiled quietly as he observed her. "I'll be back," he said softly before going back to the door, but he stopped when he saw Vincent blocking his way.

"Tell you what, you stay here and take care of her and I'll go to Midgar to buy the medicines." Vincent told Rufus.

Rufus eyed Vincent strangely. "But who's going to cook Tifa's food?" he asked.

Vincent smiled simply at him. "You do it." He said before turning away to leave.

Rufus was dumbfounded. The only times when he could cook was when he was taking home economics classes back in elementary and high school… and he had forgotten the recipes. He took a quick glance at Tifa before rushing to the kitchen to check whether Vincent has finished cooking the soup.

Well he hasn't.

Rufus grunted. "Blimey!" he exclaimed in exasperation before approaching the stove where Vincent had left the boiling soup, letting it simmer. Rufus removed the lid of the pot and the steam went to his face. He moved away. "Ugh." He muttered in annoyance before grabbing a random ladle from the kitchen counter and stirred the soup carefully. He wondered what kind of soup it was, but judging from the ingredients scattered on one area of the long stretch kitchen counters, it was cream of mushroom. "Well this definitely isn't soup from a can." He muttered before sniffing the soup. "How will I know if it's already cooked?" he wondered silently.

oOoOo

Yuffie was on her way to the front door when she heard Tseng calling for her, "Princess,"

She cringed and turned around to face him. He was just coming down the stairs and he was holding his mobile phone. "Where are you going this early?" he asked.

She pouted. "Out. I'm taking a walk." She said.

"And you'll return by 6 in the evening. I'm getting suspicious. Are you employed in a job that is unsuitable for someone like you?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

She laughed dryly. "Oh come on! I'm not working elsewhere but 7th Heaven. And I haven't received my paycheck yet," she said sarcastically before leaving.

Tseng frowned.

"I think you should follow her." Cloud suggested as he descended the stairs.

Tseng sighed. "I just received a call from her father. He's worried about her." He said.

"Then go and follow her to see if she's alright!" Cloud urged.

"I can't. She always seems to notice that I'm following her. But anyway, she always goes straight to the bus station. I don't know why though." Tseng explained.

Cloud blinked. "Bus station, huh?" he muttered.

Reno and Elena arrived from the kitchen. "Hey, Cloud, why don't you make the deliveries in the east areas of Edge, while me and Elena do the deliveries for the west areas?" the former suggested.

Cloud looked at them. "No, split up. You do the deliveries for the east, Elena will do the deliveries for the west." He instructed Reno before turning back to Tseng. "I think I'd like to follow our little Princess." He said with a smug look on his face.

oOoOo

Rufus entered the room he had been sharing with Tifa for two months now, carrying a tray of soup, bread, tea and water. She was lying still on the bed with her eyes slightly open and staring wearily at the ceiling.

Seeing her looking so pale and weak made him feel something in the likes of worry, sympathy and sadness—emotions that he has not felt in a long time towards another person. And then there was fear. And where is that fear coming from?

He cautiously approached her, careful not to disturb her, but still, she looked at him with a tired look on her face. He kept a straight face even as he neared her. He never smiled.

Tifa watched as Rufus placed the tray on the bedside table. She noticed his silence and the seriousness of his face, but his blue eyes seemed to be giving away his real emotions to her. She smiled wearily at him. "Are you alright, Rufus?" she asked softly.

He turned to her, his stare turning cold.

But Tifa can read him easily now. She had gotten used to his behavior and he has become predictable to her already in those two months that they had been together. "Something is wrong, isn't it?" she inquired.

He raised his eyebrows slightly at her and smiled grimly. "You have to eat now, Tifa." He said before taking a seat beside her and helping her to sit up.

She noticed how his grip felt against her skin. He seemed to be shaking a little. "You're not telling me something." She pointed out.

He just kept quiet and once she had seated herself properly, he began to spoon-feed the soup to her to make her stop talking.

Tifa noticed his tactic on making her stop talking but she was too sick to try to bust his way of avoiding the issue. But his silence made her feel uncomfortable. She could sense that something was really wrong. She wished she could break the silence, maybe by talking about other things aside from the issue concerning him, to make the tension go away. But her mind was too weary to think of another interest than Rufus.

In 30 minutes, he was able to finish feeding her the soup and placed the empty bowl back onto the tray. "Do you want bread?" he asked her stiffly.

"Where is Vincent?" she asked weakly.

He got the bread and offered it to her, but she shook her head. "I'm full. And Vincent?" she asked him.

He placed the bread on the plate on the tray. "He left for Midgar to buy your medicines." He explained.

She blinked. "So who made the soup?" she asked, her eyes widening a little.

Rufus was quite hesitant to answer, "I did." He bowed down his head as he grabbed the glass of water and offered it to her. "You need to keep yourself hydrated for now while you have the fever." He said with a low voice.

She smiled, pleased with him. She was impressed that Rufus Shinra could cook something as simple as soup for her, and surprisingly, it tasted better than expected. She got the glass of water. "It tasted good, thank you, Rufus." She said softly before drinking carefully.

He raised his gaze to her, eyeing her with eyes of wonder. It was the first time he ever received such a compliment regarding something that he is not really adept with. He fought the urge to smile because he thought that it was a big accomplishment to make her happy by doing something that is very unusual for him. "What would you like for lunch?" he asked her. He was beginning to enjoy the idea of cooking for her to please her… and of course, to gain her approval. Besides, isn't it healthy for his self-esteem?

Tifa thought for a while. "I don't know about you but I just want something light. I wouldn't want to upset my stomach and end up vomiting later on if I end up eating too much. You know how sensitive a sick person's stomach is, right?" she asked.

Rufus smiled slightly before pulling out a bell from his pocket and handed it to her. "I'll be doing the chores. Ring if you need anything." He said in a rather commanding tone before picking up the tray and then left the room without saying anything else.

Tifa breathed in, her eyes wide in curiosity. She wondered if she was delirious because of the fever and Rufus is suddenly doing the household chores and taking care of her. "I think I should rest further… maybe things will return to normal once I get well…" she thought to herself as she decided to lie down again.

oOoOo

It was 5 in the afternoon when Cloud Strife returned. Tseng and Rude were the ones who met him by the doorway of Tifa's bar; the two Turks were cleaning the counters, and they noticed the disturbed look on his face.

"You're finally here." Tseng said, dropping the rag on the counter to approach him.

Cloud's frown deepened as he began, "I followed her the whole day and… she's basically with no one."

Silence.

"But she appears like she's talking to someone… although no one is really there. Or maybe there is something wrong with my eyes now…" Cloud continued.

Tseng raised his hand to make him stop talking. "No, no, I don't think there's something wrong with your eyes; because if there is something wrong with your eyes, then maybe you can join me and Reno in seeing an eye doctor." He pointed out.

Cloud took a deep breath. "So I'm not imagining it?" he asked.

Tseng shook his head.

"I'd hate to say this, considering that you two are assigned to watch over her by her father… but maybe she's losing her marbles or something?" Rude suggested.

Cloud was surprised that the usually-quiet Turk said something. "Well actually that's what I've been thinking all the while…" he admitted.

Tseng frowned. "No, that can't be." He said.

"How else can you explain why she's talking to herself?" Cloud pointed out.

Tseng thought for a while before answering, "Uh… imaginary friend?"

Cloud stared glumly at him. "Isn't she too old for imaginary friends?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Are you saying she's retarded?" Tseng narrowed his eyes at Cloud.

Cloud shrugged. "Who knows?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Damn. How are we going to explain this to her father?" Tseng muttered, looking away.

"But I heard a name though… it's Zack." Cloud said.

Tseng looked at him in disbelief. "And her imaginary friend is a man!" he exclaimed.

"Why are you surprised? Maybe she wants a boyfriend but no one likes her so she created an imaginary boyfriend." Cloud suggested.

"That is ridiculous. I don't think she's that desperate to have a boyfriend." Tseng pointed out.

Rude was reflecting on the name of Yuffie's "imaginary" friend. "You said his name is Zack, right?" he asked.

Cloud and Tseng turned to him. "Yeah." The former answered.

"Don't you remember a Zack?" Rude asked.

The two fell silent.

Tseng laughed dryly, "Are you suggesting that…" he shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. "God forbid! He's dead!" he exclaimed. "There are a lot of Zacks in the world, anyway." He continued, eyeing Rude with a serious look on his face.

Cloud, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. "Y… yeah, Zack is dead…" he stammered.

They were interrupted when Vincent just arrived. The three of them stared at him in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Cloud asked.

Tseng became suspicious. "Is everything alright in the hacienda?" he asked.

Vincent nodded. "I just came here to get some medicines for Tifa." He said.

"Tifa?" Tseng asked, frowning.

"Apparently, she's ill. Very high fever." Vincent answered.

"And what about Rufus?" Cloud asked.

"He's completely well now. Very healthy, I deem. He's taking care of Tifa while I'm here." Vincent said. "So, does anyone know where she keeps the medicines here?" he asked.

"Not really sure. Maybe it's in the medicine cabinet?" Cloud suggested.

"Where is the medicine cabinet?" Vincent asked.

"Wait, couldn't you just buy medicines?" Tseng asked him.

"Medicines are too expensive. I toured all over Midgar and Edge just looking for pharmacies that sell cheaper medicines, but apparently, there's not a single cheap pharmacy around here nowadays. So I just decided to come back here in hopes that maybe she stored medicines here to treat fever." Vincent explained.

Cloud looked up at the ceiling for a while. He realized that he has not heard Aerith's voice in his head for the whole day already and he was beginning to get worried. He looked at Vincent again. "Maybe Marlene or Denzel knows." He answered.

Vincent noticed the uncomfortable look on Cloud's face but he just kept quiet about it and left the bar to look for the children.

oOoOo

Rufus was minding the time on the old grandfather's clock in the hallway leading to the living room. "Where the bloody hell is Vincent and what is taking him so long to come back?" he was wondering in annoyance before walking back into the room he's sharing with Tifa. He stopped by the doorway upon seeing her sleeping soundly with her hands grasping one of his jackets that he left lying around on the bed.

It was 7:30 in the evening already and he had been praying for Vincent to return because he was already having a hard time taking care of Tifa, making sure her temperature doesn't reach 40 degrees Celsius, while at the same time, managing the household. He had been trying to stabilize her temperature by placing a small damp towel on her forehead and replacing it every once in a while whenever the moisture would evaporate from her body heat. He felt so restless and he found himself worrying so much about her that he could not eat well and he could not even think of anything else than taking care of her until she gets well. It was like his priorities had been changed.

He sat on the bed by her side and observed her breathing. He sighed, feeling so bad. He has been trying to avoid feelings of guilt ever since she got sick. "I should've told her to go inside when she decided to join me… damn, it was a cold morning, I should've been more considerate!" he was nagging himself quietly in guilt as he laid himself beside her with a weary look in his eyes. He had been so stressed out the whole day he did not realize how tired he was already, but there was another feeling within him—somehow, he felt invigorated. The experience of having to take care of someone who is sick, attending to her and maintaining a household at the same time—he felt good. As if for the first time, he has found another purpose in life; like he has been self-actualized.

He touched the cloth on her forehead. Still damp. He withdrew his hand from her forehead and let it travel down to her neck, letting the back of his hand feel the side of her neck for her temperature. He smiled faintly. She was not as warm as she was that morning and that afternoon. It was as if her body temperature has returned to normal eventually. Her fever had ceased and he was relieved.

Mindlessly, he moved closer to her and embraced her as he closed his eyes. It was ridiculous, he knew it, but he thought she would die because of the high fever. He has heard of cases wherein people die because of untreated high fever, so he was really worried it would happen to Tifa. He also realized when he started to take care of her, that he felt so drawn to her he could not bear the thought of losing her.

Tifa slowly opened her eyes when she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her and someone breathing against her neck. She squinted, adjusting her vision in the dimness of the room only illuminated by candles since there was no electricity. She wondered what the damp towel was still doing on her forehead when she felt much better already. She removed it.

Rufus sensed that she moved, so he opened his eyes again and saw her holding the damp towel. She put it aside as she grunted, then turning her sleepy gaze to him.

He just stared at her in wonder. "How do you feel now?" he asked.

She wondered if she just imagined seeing him looking at her like he was an innocent little boy. She fought the urge to giggle. She thought he looked cute back there. She smiled softly, "Much better… thank you for taking care of me, Rufus." She said softly. Her voice, though, has not returned to normal yet. It still sounded quite raspy.

He just stared at her.

Her smile faded a little when she noticed the vulnerability in his eyes. Was it just the effect of the candles or could she really see his emotions through his eyes already? She then noticed that he was still embracing her. "Why are you holding me like this?" she asked. It felt awkward for her because no one has ever held her like that before. She could feel her face getting warmer again and she wondered if she was coming up with another episode of fever once again.

His facial expression softened, which surprised her. Would she consider herself lucky for being the first one to see Rufus Shinra looking so vulnerable? "I thought I'd lose you." Was his answer.

She gazed at him, her eyes widening in awe. "…lose me?" she asked, wondering what he meant.

He looked away. He did not know how to really explain himself.

But the look in his eyes gave his thoughts away—Tifa understood completely, much to her surprise too. She recalled what Tseng had narrated to her about Rufus, and then based upon her own reflections on his behavior and his life, she realized that he was just a frightened young man victimized by the wealth and power surrounding him as he was growing up.

Rufus took a deep breath and wished himself enough guts to finally speak up, "I've lost… so much… _a lot_." He closed his eyes for a moment and frowned a bit before opening his eyes again.

Tifa's eyes widened when she saw his blue eyes glistening in what she realized were tears.

But he did not want to let them fall even as he continued to speak, "…I…"

She faced him as her facial expression softened and she placed her hands on the sides of his face, "Hush, Rufus." She said softly. "It's alright… I understand…" she said, embracing him.

He was stunned for a moment, surprised with her response. He thought that he was good in concealing his emotions and his true personality, so he was surprised with Tifa because she was the first one who seemed to know him very well next to his own mother. He just stared at her for a long time, thinking of the correct response, but he was too caught up in the moment of having her embrace him like that.

They were so close…

And their faces were moving closer to each other…

SLAM.

They heard the front door slam.

"Rufus! I'm back!" they heard Vincent's voice from outside.

Rufus and Tifa felt as if their hearts had stopped beating for a few moments before they regained their composure. But none of them could move.

"Rufus, where are you? Is Tifa alright?" they heard Vincent's voice nearing their room. And the door was left wide open.

Rufus took the initiative to move away from Tifa and he sat up on the bed, combing his fingers through his blonde hair while trying to keep a straight face. Tifa, on the other hand, turned to face the other side. Her eyes were wide in shock, but she also felt a little annoyed due to the interruption of her moment with Rufus.

Vincent finally arrived at their room carrying a paper bag with the medicines in it. He stared at Rufus strangely. "Is she alright?" he asked, referring to Tifa.

Tifa swallowed hard as she forced a smile and carefully sat up, turning to Vincent. "I'm feeling much better now." She said slowly.

They were silent for a few moments before Vincent nodded. "Alright. But… just in case your fever comes back or anyone else here gets sick, I'll be keeping the medicines in one of the kitchen drawers." He said. But he clearly noticed the awkwardness between the two so he suspected that something must have happened while he was away—whatever that is. He smiled calmly at Rufus. "Well I guess you're a good nurse, Rufus. You didn't burn the food, did you?" he asked.

Tifa answered for Rufus, "Oh he was splendid, Vincent! He took care of me very well. And his cooking is great too!" She exclaimed with a pleased smile on his face.

Rufus just kept a straight face, eyeing Vincent glumly.

Vincent wondered if Tifa was being sarcastic, but before he could say anything else, Rufus spoke up, "I wasn't able to cook dinner. There are leftovers from lunch, however. Some seafood pasta in the fridge. I guess I cooked too much for two people."

Vincent blinked, nodding.

"Anyway, you're back so soon?" Rufus asked, getting out of bed and straightening his pants in an effort to remove some of the creases.

"I took the bus." Vincent answered before leaving the room. "I'll have my dinner now." He said as he walked away.

Rufus just stood still by the bed, his back facing Tifa.

She just stared at him, her eyes wide in inquisition. She wanted to ask, "What now?" but she was too embarrassed to even start talking. She just thought that what almost happened between Rufus and herself was somewhat awkward in the sense that it was very unexpected, yet it had been way overdue. She _did_ like him, after all, yet she did not know when to begin to explain to him. He is Rufus Shinra, and no matter what happens, even if he had been stripped off from his riches and wealthy lifestyle, she felt as if there will always be a barrier separating the two of them from each other.

And then Rufus started to walk towards the door.

Her facial expression softened and she felt disheartened all of a sudden before lowering her gaze to the ground. He was going to leave her there… alone. And she thought he was the one fearful that she would leave him; now he's the one leaving her. She clenched her fists. "I knew it…" she thought bitterly to herself.

She heard the door close, then she heard footsteps approaching the bed again. She slowly lifted her gaze to Rufus Shinra who was walking back to her. She slowly inhaled as her eyes widened as she gazed up at him curiously.

He climbed back onto the bed and sat face to face with her with his usual poker-faced expression dominating his whole face. She could not even determine what was on his mind by looking into his eyes because of his sudden seriousness… just like from before. She began to feel afraid of what he was going to say to her, for she feared it would be something negative to ward her off for good.

Yet his right hand reached out to her left cheek and touched it gently, tenderly caressing it. "Where were we before Vincent Valentine arrived?" he asked with a tone that sounded like he was trying to suppress humor.

She blinked. "W…what?" she was too clueless to think.

And he just leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

oOoOo

to be continued.

Author's note: I'm tired, I'm sleepy, it's 12:23am, but my obsessive-compulsion wanted me to finish this chapter before going to bed. Haha. So there. Cheers for Shinra. And it is August 19, 2006 as I'm finishing this chapter… a very happy birthday to Cloud Strife. Yes, the _real_ Cloud Strife. According to the Final Fantasy 7 game manual, his birthday is August 19. Go Leos. Haha. Cheers to one of the best yet most complicated characters ever to have been created by Nomura-san. Hee!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

oOoOo

Vincent Valentine could not determine what was taking Rufus and Tifa so long to join him for dinner.

"Wait a moment… did I even invite them to join me?" he wondered quietly to himself. He was fearful that he was becoming somewhat forgetful because despite his youthful appearance, he could not deny to himself his real age. He got hold of a shiny silver spoon and began to examine his complexion by looking at his reflection at the back of the spoon. "Hmm… I guess having Mako has its benefits…" he muttered upon realizing that no wrinkles or other signs of aging have surfaced.

He stared at the seafood pasta that he had to reheat and place in a more appropriate porcelain serving bowl (because Rufus used a plastic bowl for serving and storage). He wondered if he should start eating without them, but became suspicious again. The two seemed tense when he arrived as if something was wrong. Were they having a fight before he arrived?

Vincent thought that he would never care whether he would lose friendships or not, but at that moment, he felt worried that his newfound friendship with Rufus would be ruined if ever Tifa fought with him.

"What are the chances?" he muttered as he dropped the spoon on the table and carefully got up, suspecting that if the two were already killing each other in the room where he left them, he should be cautious in approaching them.

As he approached the room, he noticed that the door was closed. He tried to listen for any disturbances from inside, but there were none. Wondering if those two were still alive, he peeked through the keyhole and what he saw made him step back from the door and run back to the dining room.

He sat on his chair and stared wide-eyed into empty space, catching his breath. He just sat still for a few minutes before regaining his composure. "Oh well… I guess it was bound to happen one way or another…" he told himself out loud as his lips curved into a pleased smile, but then a wave of melancholy returned to his consciousness when the thought of Lucrecia entered his mind.

There was never a day that he failed to think or dream of her. But at that moment, he just wondered how different things could have been if she was still alive and they ended up together, married, and with children. He also imagined that if he was Sephiroth's father, would things have turned out better for the Planet in a way?

Taking a deep breath, he just decided to eat rather than sulk. Besides, he could sense that it would rain soon. "Rain?" he thought as he got up for a moment. "Food can wait. Better get the laundry inside…" he thought before rushing to the kitchen and exited through the back door to go to the laundry area where clothes and blankets were still hanging on the clotheslines.

As he was gathering the clothes and the blankets, he sensed that someone was approaching him from behind. He could already feel the few droplets of rain hitting his face so he hurried in gathering the clothes before turning around to face whoever it was approaching him. Vincent almost dropped the clothes and the blankets when he saw that it was a tall young man with spiky black hair wearing the clothes that Cloud used to wear. "Oh… hello. May I help you?" he asked.

The spiky-haired man smiled sheepishly. "Uh… I kinda got lost. Do you mind if I stay over for the night? There's a storm coming and I don't think I can make it to an inn on time before the rain pours down." He explained with a hesitant tone.

Vincent examined him, eyeing him from head to toe. "You from Shinra?" he asked curiously.

"Uh… yeah. I used to work for them before. Was from SOLDIER. First Class." The man answered.

Vincent looked up at the skies when he felt more droplets of rain. "No time to dilly-dally here. Follow me inside." He said before leading the way to the house. "Before anything else, what is your name?" he asked.

"Zack."

Vincent and Zack made it back into the house just in time when the rain started to pour down. Vincent checked the clock. It was 8:30 in the evening already. "Pardon the darkness." He apologized to Zack while hoping that his guest would not bump against anything that could break.

"Oh it's fine. I can see in the dark." Zack said. "I hope that doesn't freak you out…" he continued.

"No, not at all. Me too. I was from Shinra too… and I guess you were also exposed to Mako?" Vincent inquired as he placed the laundry on one of the chairs in the living room.

Zack smiled. "Yeah. I was. Not such a pretty damn good experience but hey, I guess it improved my eyesight. Haha." He said.

Vincent could sense that this young man had a lot of humor in him. "Maybe it's a change since Rufus is always sarcastic and Tifa hardly ever cracks jokes." He thought silently before motioning for his guest to follow him into the dining room. "Come along. I'm sure you haven't had dinner yet." He said.

Zack's face lit up with excitement. "Yeah! I'm really hungry now. The last meal I had was lunch. I was with my girlfriend and we didn't have enough money so we only ate a few in the market." He said.

Vincent and Zack sat down. "Oh you have a girlfriend? Where is she from?" the former asked.

"Well, she's originally from Wutai but she's staying over at her friend's house in Edge to help out with the financial and household concerns." The latter explained with a proud look on his face.

Vincent looked at him for a while. "Oh. That's nice of her." He remarked before handing him the bowl of pasta so that he could serve himself.

Zack took 5 spoonfuls of the seafood pasta, dumping each serving on his plate. "So, you live here alone, mister—?" he asked.

"Vincent." Vincent pointed out his name.

Zack nodded brightly. "Vincent." He repeated as he handed the serving bowl back to his newfound acquaintance.

Vincent scooped up 3 servings of pasta and dumped the food on his plate. "I actually live here with two other people but they're _busy_ somewhere else in this house." He explained while trying to keep a straight face.

Zack blinked. "Chores?" he asked.

Vincent avoided his gaze. "Never you mind. Just eat." He said.

They were quiet for several minutes, concentrating on eating, until Zack broke the silence by asking, "You told me you're from Shinra too. From which division?"

Vincent was somewhat hesitant to answer but he did anyway, "…Peace Keepings."

"SOLDIER?" Zack inquired.

"Turks." Vincent answered quite stiffly.

Zack smiled. "Cool. But… I haven't seen you before." He said.

Vincent just kept quiet.

"You know Tseng?" Zack asked.

Vincent was surprised at him. "Y…yes." He answered. But he knew Tseng only when he joined Cloud and his gang, not when he was still working as a Turk.

Zack laughed lightheartedly. "I knew him. I guess you're a senior Turk?" he asked.

Vincent just blinked. "I guess you could put it that way, but I'm back on the job now." He answered.

"You sure look young to be a senior Turk." Zack remarked.

Vincent just kept quiet as he continued to eat. He was wondering where he would make Zack sleep. "Pardon me, Zack, but I hope you do not mind sleeping on the couch tonight?" he asked.

Zack smiled. "Not a problem with me." He answered.

Vincent was relieved that his guest did not turn out to be a picky and whiny person. "Alright. I'll just provide you with the pillows and blankets. I know this is a big house but we only have two beds. The two other people living here with me are sharing one room and one bed. I have my own room." He answered.

"Are they family?" Zack asked.

"No. I'm not related to them. They're… my friends." Vincent answered. Admitting that he actually has friends made him feel as if a chain that has been holding him together for so long has finally begun to detach itself from him.

Zack poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher situated to his left. "Cool. Must be fun living with your friends." He said.

Vincent reflected on what he said and smiled simply. "Well… yes. It is indeed fun." He said softly.

Zack smiled cheerfully before drinking some water while Vincent continued to eat. He put down his glass and eyed Vincent curiously. "Your friends had dinner yet?" he asked.

Vincent shook his head "I don't think they'll be eating dinner tonight. They're… pretty busy." He answered.

"Why? What are they doing?" Zack asked.

Vincent could feel his own cheeks getting warmer. Obviously he did not want to answer the question, but he just shrugged. "I'm not really sure… they're fixing a few springs on their bed, I guess." He fibbed.

"Maybe I can help. I'm quite the handyman myself!" Zack presented cheerfully.

"No, no, not a problem. They can handle such an easy task themselves. After all, I'm sure they're helping each other out very well. They're pretty close to each other." Vincent answered with an uneasy smile on his face.

Zack blinked and eyed Vincent strangely as if suspecting something. Vincent easily understood what he was thinking about so he explained, "They're... a young man and a young woman."

Zack raised his eyebrows and he seemed to have sighed in relief. "Well that's… great. They're siblings?" he asked.

"No. More like… lovers." Vincent explained quite hesitantly.

Zack smiled gently. "Gee. How sweet of them to be together in one roof." He said.

Vincent lowered his gaze to his food. "Yes, I guess so… we never even thought they'd end up together." He explained.

"Why?" Zack asked.

"Let me just put it simply like this: they're from different worlds." Vincent said.

Zack laughed lightheartedly. "Well I guess that's normal! I mean, everyone's from a different world! I mean, everyone's an opposite of everyone… am I making sense to you?" he asked.

Vincent breathed in. "Yes, I guess so." He just realized how talkative his guest is. "But at least he's talking. I won't be so bored…" he thought silently.

Zack continued to talk about anything under the sun while Vincent listened and commented every now and then. After dinner and after Vincent had washed the dishes, he showed Zack to the living room and made him sit on the couch. "That couch is clean. I've disinfected it enough to get rid of the mites." Vincent reassured.

Zack bounced up and down on the couch. "I don't really mind mites. I'm so used to having mites around me. Back in SOLDIER, when I was still in the lowest ranks, I'd sleep in bunk beds with bedbugs! But I got used to them." He explained lightheartedly.

"You sound like you're used to living even in the nastiest conditions life could offer." Vincent answered before heading for the hallway to the bedrooms. "I'll be back. I'll get your pillows and blankets." He said.

Zack just sat still on the couch while looking around with a faint smile on his face.

oOoOo

It was 5 in the morning when Cloud opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling of his dark room. He shivered slightly as he realized that the room was strangely cold. He wondered if winter was coming sooner than expected. Ever since Meteor, there had been many changes in the seasons and like the weather, the seasons became unpredictable. He turned to his side and he froze when he saw someone seated on the chair facing the bed…

And she was in pink.

His eyes widened but for some reason, he could not raise his gaze to look at her face; he could only gape at her abdomen with a disturbed look on his face. Her hands were on her lap. He was not sure but he could feel that she was smiling at him.

"Why… why can't I look at you?" he asked softly.

She just kept still.

The room was silent. Cloud felt uneasy. "Aerith," he began.

There was no movement from her.

"You didn't talk to me yesterday. I was worried about you. Where have you been?" he asked her.

He wondered why she was not even moving or speaking. Cloud could feel the tears welling in his eyes as he continued to stare at her abdomen. He smiled bitterly. "Did I do something wrong?" he whispered. He sounded like a guilty child.

She got up and walked to him. She knelt down on the floor by the bed. Now he could see her face. She had a gentle smile on her face.

He blinked and his tears fell.

She leaned her face closer to his and kissed his lips gently. "_It will all be over soon_." She told him gently as she moved away and sat down on the chair again.

He wondered what that meant, but he smiled anyway and remained lying on his bed, shivering in the cold under his blanket.

oOoOo

It was 8 in the morning when Elena decided to check on Cloud when she and the other Turks realized that he has not come out of his room for work yet. She knocked carefully, "Hey, uh… Mr. Strife?" she called out.

There was no answer.

Elena carefully opened the door and when she stepped inside the room, she stopped for a moment when she realized how cold it was inside. She shivered and hugged herself, rubbing her arms with her hands. "Brr… it's like, so cold in here." She muttered before turning her gaze towards the bed where she saw Cloud Strife lying still and staring blankly at the chair by the bed.

She stared at him curiously as she approached him. "Mr. Strife?" she called out his name carefully. She stopped by the bed when she received no response. She began to wonder if he was still alive, but then noticed that he was so pale and that his lips were almost blue. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed as she touched his forehead and withdrew her hand from him when she felt that he was too cold. She took a step backward and then ran to the door again. "Guys!" she called out in panic.

Reno was the first one to arrive, followed by Rude. "What's up?" the former asked, then shuddered as he got inside the room. "Damn! What's wrong with this room?" he exclaimed.

Rude approached Cloud upon noticing the dead expression on his face and touched his face. "He's cold." He thought before removing the blanket.

Their eyes widened when they realized that he was shivering lightly and his arms, hands, legs and feet were blue. "Oh crap!" Reno reacted in shock.

Elena stared horridly at Cloud. "What happened to him?" she asked.

"He's still alive. I think we need to bring him to a doctor." Rude suggested.

"Doctor?" she asked.

"Great. Where are we gonna get the funds to pay an MD?" Reno asked.

"No time to think of monetary concerns, we have to take him to a doctor now." Rude told them.

Elena nodded. "I'll… go get more blankets." She said before running out of the room.

oOoOo

Vincent Valentine, upon waking up, went straight to the living room to check on his guest; however, when he arrived at the living room, no one was there anymore. The pillows were neatly piled on one side of the couch while the blanket was neatly folded and placed on top of the pillows. He wondered where his guest went but as he neared the sofa, he saw a folded piece of paper on the coffee table. Immediately, he went to get it and read it upon getting his hands on it:

"_Vincent, thanks for the food and for letting me spend the night here. You're such a nice person. I do hope we'd run into each other again in some other time and place. Zack. PS: Lucrecia is alright. You just have to be patient."_

His eyes widened upon reading the postscript, but he immediately hid the letter in the pocket of his pants when he heard footsteps coming from the hallway where the bedrooms are located. He turned around to wait for the approaching person to appear by the doorway to the living room.

Rufus Shinra passed by, stopping in his tracks upon seeing Vincent in the living room. "You're up quite late," Vincent remarked.

Rufus kept a straight face. "Long night." He answered as he approached Vincent while staring at the pillows and the blanket on the couch. "You slept here last night?" he asked.

"No. We actually had a guest here last night. There was a storm so he asked if he could spend the night here. He seemed nice so I let him" Vincent explained.

Rufus eyed him curiously. "You let a stranger in without consulting me first?" he asked.

Vincent kept a straight face. "Well I figured you were _busy_ so I just decided for myself. Besides, he turned out to be a kind young gentleman." He pointed out.

Rufus was taken aback by what he said but he acted like nothing was wrong—but of course he was aware that his new Turk knew what he was up to last night. "Must. Keep. Straight. Face…" Rufus was telling himself quietly.

Vincent cleared his throat. "Anyway," he turned away. "How is Tifa doing?" he asked before walking to the kitchen.

Rufus breathed in. "She's fine." He followed after Vincent. "Still asleep though." He continued. However, before Vincent could question him on why Tifa was still asleep, he already decided to speak up to change the subject, "Where is the guest now?"

"He left rather early. I guess he had something else to do." Vincent answered.

"Are you sure there is no missing furniture around here?" Rufus asked suspiciously.

"I can assure you, the young man is not a thief. He was from SOLDIER—First Class, if I remember it right…" Vincent told him reassuringly. They entered the kitchen to start preparing breakfast.

Rufus raised his eyebrows. "A First Class SOLDIER, huh? What's his name?" he asked.

"How can you be sure you can remember him? I'm sure there were too many First Class SOLDIERs back then." Vincent said as he brought out some bread from 2 days ago. He was thinking of making French toast.

Rufus frowned at him. "Of course I can remember everyone from First Class SOLDIER! I've reviewed their records from time to time when I was still Vice President, and I can assure you I can still remember every single one of them; most especially Sephiroth and Zack." He answered haughtily while taking out some raw bacon from the freezer.

Vincent heard the last name mentioned. "There you go. It's Zack." He answered.

Rufus stopped in his tracks, blinking. He walked over to the cupboard where Vincent stored the frying pan. "Zack?" he repeated.

Vincent brought out the other ingredients for making French toast. "Yes." He answered.

"The man's dead." Rufus pointed out.

Vincent looked at him ridiculously. "Maybe it's another Zack you're talking about. How many Zacks could there possibly be in First Class SOLDIER?" he asked, unconvinced.

"As far as I can remember, there was only one and he's from Gongaga. He had black spiky hair and he's tall… but not as tall as Sephiroth, I believe." Rufus mumbled as he lit up the stove and placed the frying pan over it. He poured cooking oil into the frying pan.

Vincent stared at him with a dumbfounded look on his face.

Rufus eyed him with a frown on his face. "Oh no, don't tell me he fits the description?" he demanded.

Vincent swallowed hard. "No, not at all." He fibbed, turning away. "Calm down, Vincent. That wasn't a phantom you encountered. You saw him eat and drink and he was very alive and he slept on the couch with those pillows and blanket." He was telling himself quietly as he proceeded to cook.

Rufus turned away. "That's good. Otherwise, I'd start believing you're all sixes-and-sevens because the Zack I was talking about died 8 years ago." He told him.

Vincent took a deep breath. "Really? How did he die?" he asked.

"Shot. Apparently my Turks were supposed to let him and Cloud reach Midgar and let them loose, however, some idiot SOLDIER who was sent there to serve as back-up couldn't hold his fire." Rufus answered.

"Why… Cloud?" Vincent asked, confused.

"Old Man claims that those two are traitors and were responsible for the murder of Sephiroth." Rufus answered, rolling his eyes.

oOoOo

Yuffie took a peek outside the door with a worried look on her face. She had to stay home and guard the house while the Turks had to take Cloud to the clinic. Marlene and Denzel were at home but she could not really leave the children alone in the house. Besides, she does not want to receive a good sermon from Tseng when he returns home and she is not.

She took a deep breath and frowned slightly. "Why does Cloud have to get sick?" she was thinking in annoyance. Because she was the house-sitter for that day, she could not go out and meet with Zack in their usual meeting place. She hoped, though, that he would not think that she stood him up. She shut the door and walked back inside the kitchen where Denzel was peeling potatoes. "Are these fine?" he asked her.

Yuffie nodded. "Yeah." She muttered.

"What are you making?" he asked as he moved away from the kitchen counter.

"Potato balls. We'll mash them, mold them into balls and then roll them into batter and bread crumbs." Yuffie explained.

"Cool." Denzel said blankly.

Yuffie wondered if the boy was being sincere or not but she just ignored him.

"What's wrong with Cloud?" he asked.

Yuffie shrugged. "I'll bet it's just hypothermia, but the Turks think that it could be something else." She answered mindlessly. She was worried about Cloud, though, but she was also worried about Zack. "Man, of all the times that he could get sick, why now?" she was thinking to herself. "Where's Marlene?" she asked.

"She's upstairs sweeping the rooms." Denzel answered.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get that." he presented.

"Look from the window first before opening the door. If you don't know who it is, yell." Yuffie instructed.

Denzel nodded before rushing to the window to take a peek on who it was. He blinked. "It's a big guy with flowers in his hands. He has black hair." He described.

Yuffie's eyes widened before rushing to the front door. She opened it and gaped unbelievably at Zack. "…You're here!" she exclaimed.

He smiled at her. "Yeah." He said, handing her the flowers. The same flowers from the Church.

She blushed as she took the flowers. "Thank you," she said.

Denzel arrived by Yuffie's side, staring up at Zack curiously.

Zack smiled kindly at the little boy and patted his head. "Well hello there! Denzel, right?" he asked.

Denzel frowned slightly, wondering who he was.

Yuffie looked at him. "Denzel, this is Zack." She said.

Denzel nodded, "Nice to meet you, sir." He said, although he was still wary of the stranger. He and Marlene once overheard Cloud and the Turks discussing about Yuffie and her imaginary boyfriend. Now seeing Zack made Denzel think. "Imaginary? I don't think so. Oh well. I won't tell on her. She's nice to me anyway." He decided quietly.

Marlene came down the stairs and stared strangely at Zack. "Oh. I thought you were Cloud wearing his old clothes." She said.

"You must be Marlene!" Zack said as he brought out two bags of candies and handed one to Denzel, and then waited for Marlene to approach him.

She smiled cheerfully at him. "Hello, mister!" she greeted. "How did you know my name?" she asked.

"Of course I know your name. Yuffie tells me a lot of great stuff about you and Denzel." Zack answered as he handed the other bag to her.

Marlene thanked Zack and then looked up at Yuffie strangely. "Who is he, Yuffie?" she asked.

"His name's Zack." Yuffie answered with a grin.

Denzel eyed the two adults. Both were smiling. He blinked. "Hmm… birds of the same feather flock together." He thought silently upon realizing that Yuffie and Zack have the same manner of grinning. "Well, thank you for the candy, Zack." He told him.

Zack nodded. "Not a problem." He said.

Yuffie stepped aside from the doorway to let him in. "Make yourself at home." She said.

"Where is everyone?" he asked as Denzel shut the door for him.

"Cloud is suddenly sick for some reason. The Turks brought him to the clinic. Barret is still in Corel. Vincent, Tifa and Rufus are still in Kalm." Yuffie explained, "Tell you what, can I leave you guys here for a while? I have to finish cooking lunch for the kids." She told him.

Now anyone who heard her last statement would have disagreed that she could say anything like that because everyone knew she was spoiled and unable to provide for others. But then she was concerned about the children and the household. Zack, however, was amused. "You could make a great wife and mother someday," he remarked with a wink before following Marlene over to the living room so that they can watch some TV, while Denzel went with Yuffie to the kitchen to help her with the cooking.

Yuffie was blushing all the way back to the kitchen.

oOoOo

Tseng stepped out of the doctor's clinic and went over to the waiting room where the rest of the Turks were waiting. He had a grim look on his face as he approached Reno, Elena and Rude.

The three were looking at him strangely. "You don't look too pleased." Reno pointed out, analyzing his facial expression.

Tseng took a deep breath and eyed Reno seriously. "He's fine now." He answered.

"But what happened to him?" Elena asked.

"The doctor says it's some type of hypothermia." Tseng answered quite hesitantly.

The Turks just gaped at him.

Tseng shook his head in confusion. "It's complicated. Even the doctor couldn't explain it. The doctor also found a lot of water in Cloud's lungs. It's as if he drowned. Did any of you notice if he bathed last night?" he asked.

The three just shook their heads in a "no". They were too speechless.

"I don't think he was even near any body of water for the past few days." Tseng told them.

Reno began to think. "Any lung complications from before?" he asked.

"None." Tseng answered.

"Heart problems?" Elena inquired.

"None."

Silence.

"Is he going to be alright? What did the doctor say?" Elena asked with a worried look on her face.

Tseng raised his eyebrows and swallowed hard. "Someone's gotta watch over Cloud. He would not even answer whenever we'd question him. And…" he moved closer to the Turks. "The doctor is also beginning to suspect that Cloud could be suffering from a mental disorder too…" he said in a low tone.

"Finally, someone confirmed it." Reno stated with a grin, rolling his eyes.

Elena nudged him in annoyance. "Reno!" she protested.

"I was kidding!" he argued.

"Why? What made the doctor say that?" Rude asked Tseng, ignoring the little argument between the two.

"Didn't you notice? Cloud talks to himself and then just today, he seems to be looking at something which we can't see. He told the doctor, '_move. I can't see her.'_ Now what do you think of that?" Tseng explained, crossing his arms.

The Turks fell silent. "_Her_?" Reno asked after a few moments of thinking things through.

"Who's the _her_?" Elena asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rude swallowed hard. "…Aerith?" he suggested.

The doctor arrived by Tseng's side. It was a female doctor with long brown hair tied up on a high ponytail. "Mister Strife is perfectly fine now. I've managed to get all the water out of his lungs and his body temperature is back to normal. You just… have to watch him closely and as much as possible, make him rest at least for 2 months until he gets better. Fatigue is making him hallucinate, I think." she explained.

Tseng nodded. "Thank you, doctor. We'll keep a close eye on him." He said before turning to Elena. "Pay the bill. I've given you the money." He turned to Reno and Rude. "Get Cloud. I'll be outside to get a cab for all of us." He instructed before leaving.

Elena turned to the female doctor and smiled weakly. "Thank you for looking after Cloud too, Doctor Crescent." She said gratefully.

The doctor smiled pleasantly at Elena. She was also the one who attended to Elena when she was badly wounded and confined in that clinic for quite some time. "No need to pay me. I'm doing this for charity. There are a lot of sick people here in Edge and I just want to help them." She explained.

"Still it's embarrassing that we can't pay you for your services." Reno said sheepishly while scratching his head.

Elena looked around. "But you don't have much patients... Whenever we come here it seems like you're only attending to one patient at a time, and usually you're vacant." She remarked.

"Probably because since this place is too small and the outside seems unclean because of the chipped painting on the walls and the vines growing on them, people think this is a dirty place. But I don't mind." Dr. Crescent answered optimistically. She speaks in a soft-spoken yet firm manner. The Turks wondered how old she was and where she came from but they never bothered to ask. As for Reno and Elena who had known her for quite some time already, on the night that they were looking for a hospital, they ran into the said doctor who was strangely watering the flowers by her doorstep in the middle of the night. She immediately took Elena in her care and paid close attention to her until she finally healed.

Reno and Rude excused themselves from the conversation to get Cloud, leaving Elena and Dr. Crescent alone.

"So… where do you live, Doctor?" Elena began to probe.

"I live here. In the upstairs room. This is quite an old house though, but it's still sturdy." Dr. Crescent answered brightly.

"You live here alone?" Elena asked.

"Yes." Dr. Crescent answered.

"Don't you feel afraid of this old house?" Elena asked, frowning slightly as she looked up at the dark ceiling.

"I'm used to scary things. I've seen a lot during my day." Dr. Crescent answered, chuckling.

Elena blinked. "_during my day._" she thought, repeating the Doctor's last statement. Based on her observation, only old people say that. "But she looks like she's only 25!" she was thinking to herself. She just smiled kindly at the Doctor before turning her attention to Reno and Rude who were approaching them while assisting Cloud in walking.

Cloud was eyeing the doctor; his eyes were wide in suspicion as he continued to stare wide-eyed at her, but he never said anything. Ever since he got back to his senses and was able to recognize the people around him, he began to feel uncomfortable around the doctor.

Dr. Crescent just smiled knowingly, raising her eyebrows at him. "You'll be fine, Cloud." She said gently.

Cloud just stared at her.

Tseng arrived back inside. "The cab's here. We'd better go. Thank you again, Dr. Crescent." He said with a kind smile on his face as he shook hands with her. She just eagerly shook hands with him and smiled gratefully.

Inside the cab, as the vehicle began to drive away, Cloud looked back at the clinic.

"You alright now, dude?" Reno asked, nudging him gently.

Cloud blinked and looked away. "What's her name again?" he asked.

"Dr. Crescent." Elena answered.

"What's her first name?" Cloud asked, frowning.

She shrugged. "Dunno." She answered.

"Hell yeah, what's her first name?" Reno inquired, feeling confused.

"You've known her for quite some time now and you don't know her first name. That's nice." Tseng remarked with a dry laugh.

Cloud just kept quiet.

Reno grunted. "Well she never mentioned her real name anyway." He told Tseng.

Tseng took a deep breath. "Well, Cloud, I think you need a change of atmosphere." He said, changing the subject.

Cloud looked at him.

"What are you thinking, boss?" Reno asked Tseng.

"We're taking him to where the President is so that Tifa and Mr. Valentine can look after him too." Tseng decided.

Cloud's eyes widened. "No." he protested.

"You have to go there, Cloud. Don't worry about your business, we Turks are going to take care of it. Besides, Dr. Crescent advised a change of atmosphere." Reno pointed out.

"I didn't hear her say anything like that." Cloud pointed out.

"Well pretend she said something like that so that we can take you out of the city. You need to relax. She says you're fatigued." Reno said.

"Well what am I going to do in that farm?" Cloud demanded.

"I don't know… watch sheep?" Elena suggested lightheartedly.

"There aren't even any animals there. The whole place is barren." He pointed out.

"You'll find something amusing to do there. It's Kalm." Tseng reassured.

"Yeah. Like… watch the clouds…" Reno laughed.

Cloud grunted and crossed his arms. He still felt uneasy upon what happened to him and he still felt a little feverish especially after seeing Dr. Crescent. She looked very familiar to him, but he could not determine where he had seen her before.

Tseng began to instruct the cab driver to take them to Kalm.

oOoOo

Vincent was sitting on the front porch with Tifa and Rufus watching the clouds. It was 3 in the afternoon.

Vincent was already beginning to get a little bored because they had been sitting there ever since 1 in the afternoon, still he could not comment because his two friends seem to be enjoying their cloud-watching.

"Look! A bunny rabbit!" Tifa pointed towards the skies at a cloud shaped like a rabbit.

Rufus looked towards the direction where Tifa was pointing at. He smiled lightly before turning his gaze to Vincent. "Do we have scones today for afternoon tea?" he asked.

Vincent just nodded.

"You look bored." Rufus pointed out.

Vincent's face lit up when he noticed a cab arriving. "Who…" he began in curiosity as he got up.

Tifa and Rufus looked towards the direction where Vincent was looking and saw the cab approaching the front driveway of the house. The three of them got up and stared curiously at the vehicle.

When it stopped, the Turks came down from it, and Cloud was being assisted in walking by two of the Turks, Reno and Rude.

Rufus stared at Cloud curiously, wondering why he looked pale and disturbed. "Did anything happen?" he asked.

Vincent approached Tseng. "What's going on?" he asked.

"He got sick. Here's the medical report from a doctor in Edge. She's also the one who treated Elena when she was injured." Tseng answered as he handed Vincent an envelope containing 5 pages of written material done by Dr. Crescent regarding Cloud's condition.

Vincent stared at the handwriting at the back of the envelope. It looked familiar to him but he was too preoccupied with worrying about Cloud's condition to think about the handwriting at that moment. "Thank you." Vincent said.

"To sum it all up, Prez, he suffered from some sort of hypothermia and there was water in his lungs, and the doctor also said he needs rest or his mental disorder will worsen." Reno explained with a smug look on his face. The mental disorder part of the statement made him smile.

"Mental disorder?" Tifa asked, her eyes wide in awe.

"I don't have a mental disorder." Cloud muttered through his clenched jaw while eyeing everyone in a rather dark manner.

They were silent for a few moments before Rufus cleared his throat and said, "So that's why you brought him here so he can rest…"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

oOoOo

Vincent sat quietly in the dining area as Tifa prepared some tea.

"You seem troubled." She stated flatly as she waited for the water to boil in the kettle.

Vincent was silent for a moment before saying, "Do you need anything from Edge? I think I'd like to go there and do some grocery shopping in the Market."

Tifa looked at him in surprise. "Rufus and I need an extra hand in taking care of Cloud and making sure that he doesn't kill himself! Are you sure you want to leave?" she asked, her eyes widening at him.

He kept a straight face. Of course he was not telling the truth. He was just making an excuse so that he could go to Edge and see the said Dr. Crescent. "I don't want us to run out of food." He fibbed.

Tifa eyed him in disbelief before shaking her head in exasperation. "Alright, it's your decision. I guess I see your point. Now that we're 4 in this house and one of us is ill, we can't risk running out of food." She said before turning away to check the boiling water.

With that, Vincent got up and left as quickly as he could, leaving Tifa perplexed. She turned back to where he was seated and saw that he left his mobile phone on the table. "That Vincent. Now that he has a phone he doesn't really put any importance to it." She muttered. "And I wonder what Cloud and Rufus are doing…" she thought before getting a teabag from the box inside the cupboard where Vincent would normally keep the tea.

oOoOo

"We're home!!!" Elena exclaimed happily as she and the Turks entered the 7th Heaven Bar through its front door. Tseng instantly scanned the whole area for something amiss but was relieved to see that nothing was missing or broken and nothing seemed suspicious at the moment… until Yuffie appeared from the kitchen area wearing an apron. She had a blissful smile on her face. "I swear, I can already be a wife! I can cook decent meals and I can clean the whole house and then take care of kids! Heehee!" she laughed happily.

"Well you look happy. What happened?" Elena asked, wanting to know what went on while they were away.

Tseng eyed Yuffie suspiciously as she and Elena began to converse.

Reno snorted. "Are you sure you cooked the right food? What if you ended up cooking the children?" he joked.

"That's not a very funny joke, you ninny. Of course I didn't cook the children! What do you think of me, a cannibal?" Yuffie argued with a disgusted look on her face. Reno just laughed. "Whatever. I'll go check on them." He said before going over to the living room area where he could hear the sound of late-afternoon cartoons coming from the television set.

Tseng just remained in one corner, pretending to be preoccupied with texting someone on his mobile phone while listening to Yuffie and Elena chatting about the day's events in the household.

Basically, Yuffie told Elena everything regarding cleaning, cooking and taking care of Denzel and Marlene, but she never mentioned about Zack arriving to help her out… until Reno arrived back in the bar area with a disturbed look on his face. "You invited a guy here, Miss Yuffie?" he asked.

Yuffie fell silent, her eyes widening in shock. She forgot to tell the children never to mention Zack to anyone, especially since Marlene was the first to take notice that Yuffie likes him very much. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to act cool.

Elena blinked. "Oh my gawd! You had a guy over here? Who's he?" she asked quite nervously, remember the dead guy.

Yuffie breathed in. "Uh… remember the guy that I was telling you about?" she asked.

Elena's eyes widened but she was speechless.

Yuffie looked at Reno with a frown on her face. "And what are you going to do? You're going to tell on my father, aren't you?" she demanded.

Reno raised his hands to her. "Hell, no, princess! Of course not! I'm just asking who the guy is!" he said.

"What for?" Yuffie asked in a defensive manner.

"For security purposes, Miss Kisaragi. For all we know he could be spying on us or he's a serial rapist!" Tseng pointed out with a concerned tone as he approached her with a stern look on his face. "Your father has ordered me to watch over and if anything bad happens to you, it's not only me that will be liable but also Cloud Strife and your other friends. We just want to know who the man you're talking about is so that we can verify if he is dangerous or not." He explained.

Yuffie pouted. She took a deep breath but refused to speak. She crossed her arms and just looked away, clenching her jaw.

Tseng narrowed his eyes on her. "Miss Kisaragi, I am just concerned about your safety. Please cooperate." He said gently.

"Since when did you start getting involved with my family? I thought you work for ShinRa?" she demanded haughtily.

"I am still from Wutai after all." He said. "Now answer the question. Who is the man? Is he your boyfriend?" he asked.

Yuffie frowned as she lowered her gaze to the floor and bit her lower lip. She nodded slowly.

Elena swallowed hard as she smiled weakly. "Uh… I'll just check on the kids." She said before rushing to the living room area where Reno had left the children who were watching cartoons.

Tseng crossed his arms. "And?" he asked.

Yuffie could tell that the Wutaian Turk was already losing his patience with her but he's still trying to sound as calm as possible to avoid intimidating her too much. He still respects the fact that she is the daughter of the other man that he's working for after all. She looked up at Tseng, her cheeks flushed in a bright red shade. "His name is Zack. He was from SOLDIER and…" she began, but she trailed off when she noticed that Tseng's jaw dropped. "What?" he asked her.

Yuffie blinked. "…Zack." She repeated. She noticed the surprised reactions from Reno, Rude and Tseng. "…is there anything wrong? Do you know him?" she asked.

The three just continued to stare unbelievably at her.

She frowned slightly as she clasped her hands together as she bowed down her head for a moment. "I… I'd assume you know him because he's from ShinRa too… and he was from SOLDIER…" she said hesitantly.

"Does this guy have black spiky hair?" Reno inquired.

Yuffie looked at them with a slight smile on her face. "Yeah. He does. He says he's from Gongaga and…" she began to explain, but Reno cut her off, "How can that be that he's Zack?" he asked in disbelief.

Yuffie looked at him in disbelief. "Why? Is there anything wrong? Does he have any bad record in SOLDIER or ShinRa in general?" she asked, suddenly getting worried for her own sake that she could be in trouble for choosing a bad boy as a boyfriend.

"No, it's not that. He's a very nice man." Reno said.

"Yes, Miss Kisaragi… he _was_ nice…A good man who did his job very well." Tseng said, eyeing Yuffie with a serious look on his face.

Yuffie wondered why Tseng kept on using past tense to refer to Zack. "_Was_?" she repeated.

Tseng took a deep breath. "Years ago, there was a first class SOLDIER named Zack. He worked with the Great General Sephiroth and fought in the war with him. Zack made friends with Cloud Strife who was a rookie back then. It was Cloud who killed Sephiroth but Zack also got into trouble. Hojo decided to make them into his specimens, but they escaped. It was then that we Turks were ordered to kill them…" he began. He stopped when he saw the surprised reaction from Yuffie's face; but he still kept his gaze on her while trying to keep a straight face as he proceeded to explain, "We were supposed to let them escape to Midgar, but two SOLDIERs who couldn't hold their fire… well, they were supposed to shoot Cloud, but Zack…" he trailed off when Yuffie turned away from them with a devastated look on her face.

"…he took the bullet for Cloud." Tseng continued.

"And he died?" Yuffie asked as she faced them again with a hurtful look in her eyes.

"Well yeah he did…" Reno said nonchalantly as he shoved his hands uncomfortably inside his pockets.

Yuffie was quiet for a few moments, running Tseng and Reno's words through her head again but she could not wait to react. She felt angry inside. "Are you trying to discourage me from seeing him by telling me _lies_ about him?" she demanded with an offended look.

"Those aren't lies, Miss Kisaragi, what you just heard was true." Tseng pointed out.

"Yeah right! What are you trying to tell me, like I've been seeing his ghost all along? Why would he even _haunt_ me in the first place—just in case he's really just a spirit now?" Yuffie asked airily. "And if and only _if_ he is indeed a ghost, how come even the children saw him? And we talked to him too! And if he's a ghost, how come I can hold him and he doesn't go through things?" she continued.

The three Turks exchanged confused looks, but before Tseng could say anything, Yuffie just walked away and stomped her way upstairs.

oOoOo

Vincent Valentine arrived in Edge around evening already because he walked all the way from the hacienda. Upon arrival, he decided to look for the said clinic himself but once he already toured the whole area, he realized that maybe the clinic does not even have a signboard. "Maybe it doesn't even look like a clinic at all…" he thought as he turned around and saw an old-looking house with vines and cracks on its walls. "Should I ask for directions?" he was wondering to himself when he saw that there was a single light illuminating from one of the rooms from that house and he could see it through the second floor window. He saw that the streets were already deserted and he wondered what time it was. "Maybe everyone's having dinner now…" he was thinking before walking away. "I mustn't disturb that house's peace. Its owners must be having dinner too… I wouldn't want my own dinner interrupted too." he thought with a serious look on his face as he continued to walk around Edge for the second time, then a third, and a fourth.

By the fifth time he was walking around and searching for clinics, he realized that he ended up standing before that same old house once more. There was still that single light coming from inside.

Keeping a straight face, Vincent decided to finally approach the house. The light, for some reason, attracted him. He could tell from the way the light would seem to move at times whenever the wind would blow that it was coming from a single candle.

When he was already in front of the door, he took a deep breath before knocking three times.

Then the whole area fell silent. Even the wind died.

He looked behind him to inspect his surroundings, wondering why it was suddenly very quiet.

He was interrupted when he heard the door creaking open and he turned his gaze back in front of him to see who opened the door… and his red eyes widened in bewilderment.

A lady who appeared to be in her mid-20's stared up at Vincent with her eyes wide in surprise. She was wearing a blue top with white lace and an asymmetrical black skirt. She was barefoot.

Vincent continued to stare at her, wondering if he was hallucinating or not, but then he heard her speak in a gentle tone: "Vincent, you came."

He opened his mouth to speak her name, but no sound came out.

She just smiled at him. "Come inside." She said as she opened the door further for him as she stepped aside to give way.

oOoOo

Yuffie was looking outside the window from Tifa's room. She decided to hang out there until she is sure that everyone's asleep; after all, Tifa isn't around to tell her to get out and not to mess her things.

She looked back, scanning the bedroom. "Well her room's messy in the first place anyway so what's the warning for?" she thought with a silly smile on her face before turning her attention back to the night sky. Her facial expression saddened as she took a deep breath. "I'm sure she's having a better evening. Stupid Turks who like to snoop around. Gawds! Especially that Tseng! I'll bet he's just trying to be concerned about my safety for the sake of having someone to watch over since Rufus isn't here. Hmf. If he and his Turks are just missing Rufus, why can't they just go live in the hacienda with Tifa and Vincent?" she muttered as she crossed her arms.

She observed the quiet streets of Edge. She could tell that it was already late—probably past midnight already. She did not even notice the bar opening. "Hmf. I'll bet Tifa would like to know that the Turks didn't run her business tonight." She said before getting her mobile phone from her pocket to start texting Tifa about it, but she was interrupted when she heard a "Psst" coming from the streets.

She did not bother continuing her message; she just erased it and placed her mobile phone inside her pocket again before looking down at the streets. Her eyes widened in joy as she smiled.

There he was, standing there with the same kind and gentle smile on his face. He reached out a hand to her.

She chuckled lightly as she blushed. She looked behind her, cautious of her surroundings, and then jumped out of the window, landing safely on her feet.

"You're really good." He told her.

She smiled sweetly at him. "I was trained to do that." she said before taking his hand.

He observed her eyes. "You look distressed." He remarked with a concerned look on his face.

She pouted. "Just get me out of here, Zack." She said with a miserable tone.

His smile faded a little. "But where are we going?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Anywhere." She answered.

He looked up at the skies and squeezed her hand. "I know a place where you can chill and relax." He said before leading the way.

oOoOo

On her way to the kitchen to have a glass of water, Tifa took a glance at the old grandfather's clock in the hallway leading to the living room area. It was already past 1 in the morning and Vincent has not even returned.

She continued her way to the kitchen and when she arrived there, she jumped in surprise when she saw Cloud seated on one of the chairs. He just looked back at her with a blank look on his face.

Tifa placed the candle that she was holding on top of the dining table carefully. "You're here." She said.

Cloud looked at the candle.

She wondered what he was doing in the kitchen in the middle of the night… and even more, she wondered why Rufus did not notice him go there since he was the one guarding the sick Cloud.

She noticed that the chair opposite the place where Cloud is seated is not pushed against the table unlike the other unoccupied seats. When she looked at him again, she saw him gazing at the emptiness of the chair in front of him.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she went over to the fridge to get the pitcher of water before getting a glass.

Cloud still did not answer.

"Vincent's not yet back." She pointed out as she poured herself a glass of water and then returned the pitcher inside the fridge. All the while, she was wondering why he wasn't speaking to her.

"Where's Rufus?" she asked. Maybe he'd answer.

But he did not.

She breathed in, looking at him with a frustrated look on her face. "I really understand now why nothing really worked out between the two of us. You're very uncommunicative." She said before decided to leave him alone there, but then she stopped in her tracks when she heard him speak, "I'm leaving soon."

She felt her heart jump. "…Leaving?" she asked before turning back to him again. She studied the calm look on his face as he continued to stare at the empty chair facing him.

Tifa approached him. "Where are you going?" she asked sternly.

He smiled calmly, "…somewhere."

She settled her glass on the table and crossed her arms, staring at him frustratingly. "Well can't you tell me where?" she asked. She just felt offended at that moment upon realizing that he will never open up to her no matter how much she tries to convince him that she can be a good friend to him too. She had to admit she was jealous of Rufus when she found out that Cloud had opened up to him that afternoon, while compared to Rufus, she had known Cloud for a much longer time. "And why would you leave? Aren't you happy with us?" she asked exasperatingly.

"Tifa," he looked at her with a solemn look on his face. "Sometimes, for the sake of the happiness of others, we have to make big sacrifices." He explained.

She could feel tears welling in her eyes. "But what if I'm… I'm selfish enough to say that I… don't want you to leave? I thought we'd be a family? With Rufus and Vincent and the others back in Edge? What if I tell you that it's like I'm going to lose a brother if you leave? How can we ever be a family without you?" she demanded. Her tears were already falling and she wasn't ashamed to show them to him.

Cloud looked away, bowing down his head. "I'm sorry, Tifa… for making you cry." He said.

She covered her face and she sobbed.

He just sat still, listening to her. "One last request for a friend, Tifa," he said softly.

She swallowed as she wiped her tears away, but they continued to fall anyway. She looked at him sadly. She could already guess where he was going and with that, she was starting to calm down little by little. She crossed her arms as she listened to him: "Please take me back to my room."

Tifa bit her lower lip as she nodded sadly. She reached out a hand to him and the two of them walked together back to the room where he had left Rufus sleeping on the chair by the bed.

Tifa guided him to the bed and aided him in lying down. She brushed back some of his hair from his forehead, stroking his head gently. "One last request for me, Cloud, please?" she asked softly.

Cloud looked up at her with a tired look in his eyes. When he did so, Tifa's eyes widened when she thought she saw an old friend staring back at her too through his eyes. She smiled gently at _them_. "Watch over me and the others." She said softly with a tone that seemed to falter at the end.

He smiled gently; he seemed to be looking past her shoulders now.

Tifa felt a reassuring pat on her back coming from behind her.

"_I've always watched over you too, Tifa. And I'll continue doing so…_"

And Cloud closed his eyes.

"_Let's go, Cloud."_

Tifa's smile faded as she collapsed to the floor.

oOoOo

Yuffie was surprised at Zack when she realized that he had taken her to the old Church in Sector 6. "… Why are we here?" she asked as she let go of him and went over to the flowerbed. She smiled when she saw the flowers and picked one to smell. "Oh well. This place really makes me feel better. Maybe because… this is _her_ Church…" she said. "Thanks for bringing me here…" She said, but she trailed off and her smile faded when she saw someone else standing behind him. Her eyes widened in shock upon recognizing the other person. "…Aerith?" she asked out loud.

Aerith smiled at her.

Yuffie continued to stare unbelievably. She wondered if she was seeing a ghost or not because Aerith did not seem transparent to her. She looked very alive and it was as if she never died at all. She walked over them and reached out a hand to touch Aerith's face. To her surprise, her hand did not go through her. "Aerith, you're here!" she said softly… and she remembered what Tseng and the others had told her about Zack earlier. She withdrew her hand from Aerith and then looked at Zack. He was just standing there, gazing at her with a solemn look on his face. She backed away from them, feeling a cold gush of wind pass through her and it sent shivers down her spine.

"_Your mom says Zack will take care of you from now on._" She heard Aerith speak.

Yuffie dropped the flower that she had plucked out from the flowerbed earlier and she collapsed to the ground.

Zack just looked at Yuffie in surprise. He turned back to Aerith. "You didn't tell me she'd faint!" he said before rushing to her side to aid Yuffie.

He heard her giggle.

He cradled Yuffie in his arms and looked at Aerith with a gentle smile on his face.

She smiled back at him. "_I was sure you'd catch her." _She said playfully.

He just smiled. "…Thank you, Aerith." He said; and his gaze shifted to an old friend who was standing beside her and holding her hand. "Thanks, buddy." He said.

Cloud smiled at him. "_Thanks. Zack."_

Zack felt the cold wind brush against his skin and he collapsed onto the ground with Yuffie still in his arms.

oOoOo

"_Thank you, Rufus. Take care of Tifa._"

Rufus ShinRa opened his eyes and he realized that it was already morning. "Cloud?" he mumbled.

He still felt sleepy as he stared at Cloud lying on the bed without a blanket and looking so pale. He got up from the chair to check on him especially when he realized that he was not breathing anymore, but stopped in his tracks when he felt something bump against his leg when he attempted to take a step forward to the bed. He began to feel more nervous when he saw that it was Tifa unconscious on the floor. "Shit." He muttered in panic as his eyes widened. He knelt down and pressed his index and middle fingers onto her neck to feel for some pulse. He felt somewhat relieved to find out that she was alive and her pulse was normal. "She must've fallen asleep here… but why here?" he thought before he got up and went over to Cloud to see what was wrong.

Rufus was quiet as he slowly got hold of Cloud's wrist and tried to feel for a pulse…

There was none.

Rufus felt as if his heart had sunk and for some reason, he felt the emotions rush to his brain, making his head ache. "…Cloud!" he let go of his wrist and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. He continued to repeat his friend's name sternly as he shook him.

Tifa opened her eyes when she heard the noise and she instantly got up, not caring if there was a sudden rush of blood to her head. She just stared at Rufus, desperately trying to wake up Cloud, even though he knows that he would never wake up again. Tifa thought she was watching a child reacting towards a death of a dear friend… and she wondered if Rufus noticed it, but he was crying.

Her lips trembled as she felt sorry for Rufus. She knew he had found a best friend in Cloud, and she knew he hated losing the ones dear to him. "Rufus, that's enough…" she said with a trembling tone as she went over to him and held him back from Cloud.

Rufus just stared at Cloud with a devastated look on his face.

Tifa embraced him from behind, burying her face against his back as she breathed in to calm herself down. She could feel no tears in her eyes for she knew that she should not be sad regarding her friend's death. "Everything's fine, Rufus, everything's fine." She said reassuringly with a faint smile on her face.

Rufus continued to stare at Cloud with a disturbed look on his face. He stood still for several moments with Tifa's arms still wrapped around him from behind. And he breathed in. "He'll be fine…" he said softly.

Tifa was surprised with his words.

"He's with her now, I'll bet; it's what he's always been praying for, I'm sure. So I guess we should be happy for him instead of mourning." He explained with a solemn smile on his face. "And I'm sure there's a reason for this." He moved away from Tifa and walked over to Cloud.

Tifa watched quietly as Rufus just stood by the bed and stared at Cloud with a faint smile on his face. "…I just don't know what. I wish you could've told me." He said as if speaking to him.

They were interrupted when they heard the sound of the front door closing, followed by the sound of footsteps nearing the room. Soon enough, Vincent Valentine came into view from the doorway with a woman standing from behind him.

Rufus stared at the woman with a surprised look on his face. He could recognize her from old records regarding ShinRa employees from the time when his old man became the President.

Vincent just stared calmly at Cloud in silence before speaking up, "I guess you're right, Lucrecia."

Lucrecia just stood still, looking at Cloud with a peaceful smile on her face.

oOoOo

To be continued.

Author's Note: The last chapter is coming up. La-di-da.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

oOoOo

"Boss! Boss!" Elena barged into Rude and Tseng's room.

Tseng instantly sat up and looked at Elena sleepily. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's Yuffie! She's missing!" she exclaimed.

His eyes widened. "What?" he demanded as he jumped out of his bed, not caring if he was still in his pajamas.

As for Rude, he sleepily got out of bed, scratching his head as he reached for his sunglasses resting on the bedside table. "…Miss Yuffie probably escaped through the window." He suggested to Elena.

"And then what, she eloped with her dead boyfriend?" Tseng asked before rushing out of the room to go to Tifa's room while Elena followed after him. "She spent the whole night here, didn't she?" he asked as he stepped inside. "I thought it's locked?" he asked.

"Reno and I had to force ourselves in." she answered.

"Where's Reno?" Tseng asked.

"The kids were getting restless so he decided to take Denzel with him. He'll also bring Marlene to school." She answered.

Rude arrived at the scene, eyeing the open window. "I'm sure she escaped through that window." He said.

Tseng approached the window and gazed out, scanning the busy streets of Edge. "She can jump from here to the ground even if it's quite high. She was trained to do so. I'm sure she didn't break anything in her body." He said before turning back to Elena and Rude. "Ask the neighbors if they noticed something from last night. I'll call Reno up and tell him to ask around too after taking Marlene to school." He commanded.

"Yes, sir." The two said before rushing out of the room.

"I'll change into my uniform first," Rude told Elena.

"I'll go ahead." Elena said, since she was already in her Turk uniform.

oOoOo

Denzel and Reno, after dropping off Marlene in school, began to roam around the streets of Midgar. "Sorry for taking you along, kiddo. This searching thing might tire you out. Are you sure you don't want me to take you back home first?" he asked as they were walking.

Denzel smiled. "Nah. I'd like to try out becoming a Turk anyway." He said proudly.

Reno laughed and proudly patted the kid's head. "That's a great career track!" he said lightheartedly.

"We're searching for Yuffie, right?" Denzel asked.

"Yeah," Reno answered.

Denzel bowed down his head and thought for a while before saying, "She used to bring home bouquets of yellow flowers—you know, those from the church?"

Reno blinked. "You're suggesting that she's in the Church?" he asked.

Denzel nodded.

Reno smirked. "Let's check it out then." He said.

oOoOo

Tifa, Rufus, Vincent and Lucrecia arrived by the lake located at the Forgotten Capital riding an old truck they found at the garage of the hacienda.

"This is where we should bury him." Lucrecia suggested while staring at the placid waters.

Tifa just stood still beside her as she watched Rufus and Vincent carry Cloud Strife's body. "We won't let the others know." She said softly.

"It's his wish." Lucrecia added.

They have decided to tell the others later on that Cloud had decided to go someplace else where he can find his true happiness and live peacefully. If Barret, Cid, Yuffie and the Turks are able to get that, then they would not need to make any further explanations about the truth.

"Who will go to the middle of the lake to…" Vincent began as he and Rufus settled the body on the soil a few inches from the water.

"I'll do it." Rufus said stiffly, cutting him off.

Lucrecia and Tifa looked at Rufus with curious stares. "Are you sure you're strong enough to lift…" the latter began, not fully trusting Rufus's health condition, but Lucrecia placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her that Rufus is healthy enough.

Rufus kept a straight face as he looked at Cloud. "He… has done great things for me. In him I've found a friend, although we've only known each other for a short period of time. Still, I've treasured those moments." He smiled calmly. "And because of him, I met you." He continued as he looked at Tifa.

She was surprised at what he said. She knew he was not the type to say such things pertaining to his emotions, but then at that moment, he just did the unexpected. She smiled, pleased with him, and then turned her gaze to Cloud. "Thank you, Cloud." She thought to herself.

"Better yet, let's do it together, Tifa." Rufus told her.

She looked at him again. He just smiled calmly at her.

Vincent smiled slightly. "I'll help you. I owe Cloud for his sacrifice…" he looked back at Lucrecia. "Cloud decided to exchange his life for the sake of others. But we shouldn't be filled with misery because he's not here anymore… physically, at least. But I'm sure… like Aerith, he's watching us." He told them.

Lucrecia smiled at him before turning her gaze to Cloud. "Sins have been forgiven. He's now at peace." She said.

Rufus turned back to Cloud and breathed in. "Let's go." He said, giving the signal.

Lucrecia watched from the shore as the three made their way to the middle of the lake. Memories flooded Vincent and Tifa—memories coming from the past from when they witnessed Cloud letting Aerith's dead body sink to the bottom of the lake. The emotions Cloud felt when he was taking Aerith in the same place came into their minds, realizing how painful it really must have been for him; but they did not feel sad. That was the past. They were sure Cloud would not want them to think of the painful moments in their lives, because just like Aerith, he just wanted them to be finally happy.

Tifa and Vincent knew where to stop. They could remember where Cloud stopped back then.

Rufus kept still, keeping his eyes on Cloud's face. "Thank you, Cloud. We'll meet again someday." He thought to himself.

The three of them exchanged quick glances before finally letting go.

They stood still, watching as the body slowly sank into the dark water until they could not see it anymore.

Tifa took a deep shuddering breath as her hand traveled over to Rufus's and touched it. She held on tightly to his hand. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Vincent had a mellow look on his face. "Let's leave now." He said softly.

Rufus and Tifa nodded. With that, the three turned around towards the shore where Lucrecia was waiting for them, but then they were surprised to see that the area was suddenly bright and the trees were suddenly full of life.

Lucrecia was just standing by the shore, gazing up at the dark skies that were clearing up, giving way to the bright blue sky, white clouds and the bright sunlight.

"What is going on?" Rufus wondered out loud as he saw the green grass and a different variety of yellow flowers sprouting out from the supposedly-infertile soil

Quickly, the three rushed to the shore to check if they were seeing things or not. When they reached the shore, Tifa instantly knelt down on the grass and touched it, while Vincent looked up at in wonder at the blue skies. "Unbelievable…" he mumbled.

Rufus observed the trees and felt the fresh cool breeze blowing.

Tifa turned her gaze to the lake and saw the water becoming clear and full of life. She smiled in amusement. "This is amazing!" she exclaimed.

Rufus smiled calmly and looked up at the skies. "I guess this is the beginning of a new life for all of us." He said before turning his gaze to Tifa, who in turn looked up at him with a delighted smile on her face.

Vincent nodded. "Indeed." He said with a smile.

Tifa looked up at the skies and smiled pleasantly. "Let's go home." She announced.

oOoOo

Tseng, Elena and Rude could not believe their eyes when Reno and Denzel returned home with a grumbling Yuffie… and a Zack.

Reno whispered to Tseng, "Don't ask me, boss. I don't know either!" before his Boss could even ask Reno "Why is he here?"

Zack smiled pleasantly at the Turks. "Hey. Been a while, huh?" he asked.

Yuffie looked up at him curiously. "You know these Turks?" she asked.

"Er… yeah. From way back." Zack answered.

Elena took a step backward, eyeing him curiously. "…No, I don't know you. I just read about you from old records…" she stammered.

Tseng turned to Yuffie with an inquiring look before turning to Reno who was poking Zack at the back. Zack turned to Reno with an annoyed look on his face. "Hey, what are you doing?" he demanded.

"You're perfectly… _real_!" Reno exclaimed.

"Huh?" Yuffie raised an eyebrow.

Just then, the upstairs telephone began to ring, interrupting the conversation, yet nobody attempted to move.

"Isn't anybody going to get that?" Zack asked after the 7th ring.

Yuffie snorted and walked over to the stairs and proceeded to Tifa's room, leaving Zack with the Turks.

The Turks were still eyeing Zack with suspicious looks on their faces. "Are you really Zack Fair?" Tseng inquired skeptically.

Zack frowned slightly. "You can take a sample of my hair for DNA or something if that can stop you guys from thinking that I'm a fake." He said, arms-akimbo.

Elena eyed the spikiness of his hair and shook her head. "Uh… I don't think I can pull a hair strand from your hair…" she murmured in a voice audible enough for only her fellow Turks to hear.

Zack raised his eyebrow. "Huh?" he asked.

Tseng sighed heavily. "I'll have a little talk with you. I can't just make you leave now. It's going to disappoint the Princess," he said before motioning for Zack to follow him over to the living room. "Elena, I want you to go to Yuffie and keep her company for a while." He instructed.

"Yessir!" Elena ran upstairs.

Zack knew that he was going to get interrogated but he obliged and followed after Tseng.

Meanwhile, Yuffie was talking to Rufus Shinra on the phone with Elena beside her. "Oh, it's been a long time, huh? So how's it going there at the hacienda? You guys still alive or do we need to bring some food over there? How's Cloud?" she rambled, since she was so excited to hear from them again.

There was silence on the other line and Yuffie wondered if the line got cut or something. "Hello?" she called out impatiently.

Elena blinked. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Rufus spoke up. "We're… fine but… it's Cloud. He… died this morning." He explained with a serious tone.

Yuffie's smile faded.

Elena was beginning to get curious on what was going on. "Hey, come on, tell me, what did the President say? Are they all okay there?" she asked.

Yuffie felt her eyes welling with tears before dropping the receiver on the desk and she just ran downstairs again, leaving Elena in the room to continue the conversation with Rufus. "Hello, sir. It's Elena. What's wrong? Miss Yuffie's suddenly crying. Did something bad happen?" she inquired.

oOoOo

_Two months later…_

It was a Sunday afternoon around 3:00 and Vincent and Lucrecia were preparing to leave the hacienda. Tifa was in their room helping them with their luggage. "You guys better send over a wedding invitation to me when the big day comes!" she teased.

Lucrecia giggled while Vincent blushed. "Can't I just send you a message to your mobile phone?" he asked.

"No! That's too casual! I want to be informed in a formal manner—you know, like the classic tradition?" Tifa pointed out as she and Lucrecia headed out of the room to bring the luggage outside the house where a cab was waiting for them.

"Will you be alright here?" Lucrecia asked.

Tifa nodded. "I'm used to being alone." She answered.

"You sure? I mean, this hacienda is in the middle of nowhere; what if something bad happens here? The closest neighbor is over 2 kilometers away!" Lucrecia pointed out as Tifa opened the trunk of the cab.

Tifa chuckled lightly. "I'm not _really_ alone, Lucrecia." She explained.

Lucrecia studied the look on her face and smiled gently. "Oh. That." she said softly.

Vincent arrived with his luggage. "Well, we'd better get going." He said as he loaded his luggage into the trunk.

Tifa was quiet, observing the two. She breathed in and smiled adoringly at them. "You two have fun on your vacation." She said.

"Oh. I will. I'm glad Rufus approved of my one-month leave." Vincent said.

With that, they bid their goodbyes and Tifa watched the cab drive away with Vincent and Lucrecia in it. She sighed and placed her hands behind her back before looking up at the skies with a solemn smile on her face. When she was about to go back inside the house, she heard the sound of a chopper approaching from above. Her face instantly lit up with a smile as she looked up at the chopper, anticipating its landing.

As soon as the Shinra helicopter landed, the engine shut down and its door opened. Rufus got down from it. Tifa wondered if he piloted the chopper himself. She approached him. "Rufus,"

He smiled as he met her on the way. "Tifa," he greeted.

"Where are the Turks?" she asked, realizing that the chopper had no one else inside.

"I piloted that thing by myself. The Turks have their own assignments. Tseng escorted Zack and Yuffie back to Wutai so that Zack can meet Yuffie's father. As for Reno and Elena, they're at your bar with Rude, taking are of business, as usual." He explained.

Her eyes widened at him. He had been away for almost a week for a "business meeting" in Edge. He left with Zack as his new personal bodyguard some days ago and she was surprised that he got back alone. "So how was it?" she asked, her eyes wide in anticipation for the news. The aforementioned business meeting was actually a meeting with big-shot bank executives who hold Shinra's money and other assets. Rufus decided to use most of the funds for world restoration, which worried Tifa because it would mean that it would take much longer for him to rebuild his company.

He smiled calmly at her. "Reeve approved of it. I met with him after I talked to the executives. It appears that I still have more than enough to save for the rebuilding of my company." He explained.

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I have enough money for world restoration, and enough to rebuild Shinra." He told her.

She was quiet for a while. She knew that if he was going to start rebuilding Shinra tomorrow, he would have to leave again and she would be alone to look after the hacienda. For some reason she could not leave that place anymore because it has too many precious memories for her. Still, she had a business to run in Edge; but she could not allow anybody else to watch over that house. "So… when are you starting?" she asked.

"Tomorrow I'll leave for Edge again. I'll be rebuilding Midgar. And you're coming with me." He said.

Tifa frowned slightly. "Rufus, you know I can't," she began.

He smiled at her. He had been aware of her reason for not wanting to abandon the house. He looked at the house with a solemn smile on his face. "If you're worried about abandoning this house, well, just think of it this way: we're going to stay in Edge until this place is renovated." He said.

"Renovated?" she asked.

He nodded. "Of course. I couldn't let my First Lady live in a dump with creaking floors and crumbling walls! The least I could do is to have the whole house renovated so that we can live here properly." He shifted his gaze back to her. "What do you say?" he asked.

She was stunned by what he said. "…First Lady?" she asked, feeling her cheeks getting warmer.

Rufus Shinra smirked and embraced her before planting a loving kiss on her lips.

Somewhere, Tifa could feel two pairs of eyes staring at them but she did not mind; she already knew who those eyes belong to. She just smiled as she accepted Rufus's offer and kissed him back. Indeed, it was a start of something more wonderful for her and for everybody else. Sure, it took a while before the rest of the group was able to accept Cloud's death, but slowly, they began to understand that Cloud decided to sacrifice his life for their happiness, and also for his own.

"Thank you, Cloud and Aerith." She thought with a contented smile as she and Rufus began to walk back inside the house to have their afternoon tea together.

oOoOo

-the end.

Author's Note: There you go. Sorry for the long delay. Better thank Advent Children because it was aired on May 26, 2007 on Animax and I was inspired to finish this when I saw Rufus Shinra once again. Hurrah.


End file.
